MACEDONIA: NATO SIDELINE DISCUSSIONS OVERSHADOW

UNCLAS SKOPJE 000310

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV NATO MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: NATO SIDELINE DISCUSSIONS OVERSHADOW
EU, ENERGY AGENDA AT CENTRAL EUROPEAN LEADERS SUMMIT


Summary
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1. (SBU) Macedonia's President hosted the 15th Summit of
Presidents of Central European States, May 2-3, in Ohrid.
Seventeen states, spanning a geographic region from Germany
to Ukraine, participated in the meeting. Kosovo is not yet
a member of the group, and was not invited to participate.
The official summit agenda focused on EU integration and
energy security issues, but Macedonia's recent bid for NATO
membership dominated sideline discussions, given the timing
(on the heels of the Greek veto of Macedonia's invitation at
the Bucharest NATO summit) and Greece's absence (Greece has
never been a member of the group). In an undisguised signal
to Athens, President Crvenkovski underscored Macedonia's
strong ties with Turkey, as Turkish President Gul combined a
4-day state visit to Macedonia with his attendance at the
summit as a special guest to discuss EU integration
challenges. End summary.

Official Agenda: EU Integration and Energy
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2. (U) EU integration and energy security issues dominated
the official agenda of the Summit of Presidents of Central
European States, which Macedonia hosted May 2-3 in Ohrid.
Seventeen central and eastern European countries participated
in the event. Summit conclusions (not formal resolutions or
declarations) emphasized that EU integration will not be
complete without the inclusion of Western Balkan states.
Discussions of energy security focused on alternative
solutions, including nuclear power, for ensuring long-term
energy stability.


3. (SBU) Though the official agenda focused on EU integration
and energy security issues, host President Crvenkovski, and
Macedonian PM Gruevski, made it clear in their formal
addresses that Greece's veto of Macedonia's NATO membership
bid this April could eventually have broader consequences for
the region. In his address at the summit, PM Gruevski also
stated that "The policy of blockade by Greece is a blockade
of EU and NATO interests as well, but it will not discourage
Macedonia..."

NATO Membership Dominates Summit Sidelines
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4. (SBU) Greece has never been a member of the Central
European States group, and in Greece's absence presidents of
NATO member countries openly expressed their disappointment
over the Greek veto at the Bucharest summit. They also
offered expressions of support for Macedonia, according to
President Crvenkovski's Chief of Staff Natasha Savova. Summit
conclusions noted that summit participants unanimously agreed
that Macedonia "had already fulfilled the necessary criteria
for (NATO) membership." During official sessions and
speeches various presidents referred to "Macedonia" rather
than using the UN-agreed acronym "FYROM," in contrast to what
their delegations use in other multilateral fora, including
NATO and the EU.

And We Brought Friends
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5. (SBU) Turkish President Gul participated in the summit
as a special guest of President Crvenkovski, even though
Turkey is not a member of the group. His attendance at the
summit, ostensibly to discuss EU integration challenges, was
complemented by a four-day official state visit to Macedonia,
during which time the two countries signed a bilateral
agreement on disaster relief. Though plans for the Turkish
President's state visit and participation in the conference
were not finalized until after Macedonia failed to receive a
NATO invitation at the Bucharest summit, Savova said that
other Presidents did not view Turkey's participation in the
event as inappropriate.

Absent Kosovo Grabs Headlines and Summit Sidelines
-------------- --------------


6. (SBU) Macedonian press played up the Kosovar President's

absence from the summit, which Crvenkovski reportedly
justified by explaining that "consensus on the invitation was
unattainable due to varied national positions on recognizing
Kosovo." Savova indicated that press coverage of the issue
was unnecessarily inflammatory, that Kosovo is not yet a
member of the group, and that Pristina had not expected to be
invited to the meeting. She noted that Macedonia had not
joined the group until 10 years after independence. Savova
reported that the President's office had met with UNMIK
representatives prior to the summit; there had been agreement
on both sides that Kosovo would not participate.


7. (SBU) Kosovo border demarcation also figured prominently
in sideline discussions, with Serbian President Tadic calling
for Serbian participation in the technical commission tasked
with demarcating the Kosovo-Macedonia border. Crvenkovski
responded that border demarcation is a technical, rather than
political, matter, according to local press accounts.

Comment
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8. (SBU) A shrewd political strategist, President
Crvenkovski made the most of the timing for the Ohrid event,
coming as it did on the heels of Greece's veto of Macedonia
bid to join NATO. He used the event to showcase Macedonia's
strong ties with Turkey, succeeded in inserting language in
the summit conclusions about Macedonia's having met NATO's
membership criteria, and managed to get EU and NATO-member
heads of state to refer to "Macedonia" openly instead of
using the despised FYROM acronym. Though the group does not
adopt binding resolutions, tough policy issues, in the form
of membership decisions, could be ahead for it if Kosovo
expresses interest in joining soon, since the next summit
will be held in Belgrade in 2009. End Comment.

NAVRATIL