Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SKOPJE174
2008-03-05 08:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

CODEL TANNER REVIEWS MACEDONIA'S NATO PROGRESS

Tags:  OVIP PREL PGOV AA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ3694
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSQ #0174/01 0650811
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050811Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7142
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0238
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
UNCLAS SKOPJE 000174 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OVIP PREL PGOV AA
SUBJECT: CODEL TANNER REVIEWS MACEDONIA'S NATO PROGRESS


Summary
--------
UNCLAS SKOPJE 000174

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OVIP PREL PGOV AA
SUBJECT: CODEL TANNER REVIEWS MACEDONIA'S NATO PROGRESS


Summary
--------------

1. (U) During CODEL Tanner's February 22 visit to Macedonia,
the President, Prime Minister, and other senior Macedonian
officials described recent progress in implementing NATO
MAP-related reforms, noted continuing high levels of public
support for NATO membership, and highlighted Macedonia's
success in consistently meeting NATO standards for defense
expenditures as a percentage of GDP. On the name dispute
with Greece, President Crvenkovski reviewed the numerous
concessions Macedonia already has made to address Greek
sensitivities, while pledging to continue pursuing a
mutually-agreed solution. On Kosovo, Macedonian leaders
noted as key concerns border demarcation and the importance
to regional stability of ensuring there is no de facto
partition in northern Kosovo. End summary.

CODEL Tanner in Skopje
--------------

2. (U) A delegation of U.S. Congressional Representatives,
led by Representative John Tanner (D-TN),visited Skopje
February 22 and met separately with President Branko
Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Deputy Minister
of Defense Halimi, and CHOD Stojanovski. The members of the
CODEL -- including Representatives Ben Chandler (D-KY),
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY),Jeff Miller (R-FL),Dennis Moore
(D-KS),and Mike Ross (D-AR) -- thanked Macedonian officials
for the country's participation in coalition operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan, and reviewed Macedonia's NATO reform
efforts, the name dispute with Greece, and Macedonia's
support for Kosovo status.

NATO Reforms On Track
--------------

3. (U) During discussions with the CODEL, Macedonian
officials highlighted Macedonia's progress on NATO Membership
Action Plan (MAP) related reforms. President Crvenkovski
described the "remarkable progress" the government and
opposition had made in late 2007 in reaching consensus on key
reform legislation and other actions. He said Macedonia had
met all defense reform targets, and had made significant
progress on political reforms. PM Gruevski highlighted
Macedonia's ongoing efforts to implement the Ohrid Framework
Agreement, combat corruption, modernize its military, and
reform the economy. CHOD Stojanovski detailed the military

reforms Macedonia had completed over the past five years,
with substantial U.S. financial and technical support,
including ending conscription and implementing an entirely
professional force, adopting NATO standards of
interoperability, providing English language training to
military officers, and instituting an effective planning
process.


4. (U) The CODEL members thanked Macedonian officials for the
country's strong support of coalition operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Representative Miller asked Gruevski whether
continued participation in coalition operations was too large
a burden for Macedonia's budget, and whether there was public
support for continued deployments of Macedonian troops.
Gruevski cited opinion polls indicating that 90 percent of
Macedonians support NATO membership and he said the public
understands the costs that accompany NATO membership.
Macedonia's participation "can be counted on for current and
future missions," he said. Crvenkovski noted during his
remarks that Macedonia's defense budget consistently exceeds
2 percent of GDP, meeting or exceeding the NATO standard.
Following the meeting with Stojanovski and Halimi, the CODEL
met briefly with ten Macedonian soldiers who had
distinguished themselves during service in international
operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Greece-Macedonia Name Dispute
--------------

5. (SBU) CODEL members raised Macedonia's negotiations with
Greece regarding Macedonia's name. Crvenkovski noted that
the GOM already had made a number of concessions, including
amending the Macedonian constitution to renounce all
territorial claims on Greece or any other neighboring
country, changing its flag, and publicly renouncing any
"exclusivity" over the use of the term "Macedonia."
Crvenkovski said Skopje also had accepted previous proposals
by UN Special Envoy Nimetz for resolving the name issue, but
Greece had not reciprocated. Crvenkovski promised that the
GOM would try to reach a "common solution" to the name, but
that did not mean that Macedonia could accept all of Nimitz's
proposal. Gruevski underscored that the resolution of the
bilateral name issue is not, and should not be, a condition
for NATO membership.

Macedonia on Kosovo Independence
--------------

6. (SBU) On the topic of Kosovo's independence, Gruevski said
that the process was unfolding much as the GOM had expected,
and that he hoped Pristina and Skopje soon would be able to
begin to implement demarcation of the border. Asked about
any concerns, Crvenkovski expressed concern that Serbs in
Mitrovica, supported by Belgrade, would not cooperate with
authorities from Pristina, leading to a de facto partition of
Kosovo. He argued that this would be damaging both for
Kosovo and as a precedent in the region and possibly beyond.
He urged the international community to be consistently clear
in insisting on no de jure or de facto partition in Kosovo in
order to avoid that outcome.


7. (U) This cable has been cleared by CODEL Tanner.
NAVRATIL