Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SKOPJE333
2008-05-19 13:36:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR AND EUSR URGE ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADERS

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM MK 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7632
RR RUEHBW RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #0333/01 1401336
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 191336Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7357
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0313
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2277
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000333 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2008
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM MK
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND EUSR URGE ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADERS
TO END CAMPAIGN VIOLENCE

REF: A. SKOPJE 332


B. SKOPJE 328 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: P/E LATHAM, REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000333

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2008
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM MK
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND EUSR URGE ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADERS
TO END CAMPAIGN VIOLENCE

REF: A. SKOPJE 332


B. SKOPJE 328 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: P/E LATHAM, REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary. On May 16, the Ambassador and EU Special
Representative Erwan Fouere met jointly in separate meetings
with ethnic Albanian party leaders Menduh Thaci and Ali
Ahmeti to urge them to use their influence to end the
violence in the parliamentary election campaign (ref B).
Thaci complained that a desperate DUI was trying to prevent
DPA from campaigning in DUI strongholds. Refuting PM
Gruevski's view that he needed to clear police re-assignments
with him, Thaci claimed he had no influence over the police.
He promised to use whatever influence he had to punish those
linked to election violence. Ahmeti reported that - as could
be observed - DUI was refraining from reacting to DPA
provocations, despite the violent attacks on DUI buildings
and members, including himself. Despite the strong message
from the Ambassador and Fouere, the violence continued over
the weekend with a drive-by shooting of a DUI campaign office
and a report of broken windows at a DPA office. Police are
reportedly preparing to arrest suspects in the shooting
incident. End summary.

Thaci: I Am A Victim Too
--------------

2. (C) The Ambassador and Fouere told Thaci that campaign
related violence was damaging Macedonia's democratic system
and intimidating the voters, and if it continued it would
undermine the legitimacy of the election results and weaken
Macedonia's path toward NATO and EU membership. They urged
Thaci to use his position as the head of DPA to make more
emphatic public statements calling for an end to the
violence, keep his supporters from engaging in violence, and
use his influence (not so say authority) with the Deputy
Minister of Interior, a DPA member, to ensure the police
acted in a professional manner.


3. (C) Thaci claimed that the media had not covered his
earlier statement that he would do everything possible to
find the perpetrators of the violence. He then said DUI was
not the only victim of campaign related violence; there had
been gun shots into the air at recent DPA events and there

were towns where he could not campaign. In these DUI
controlled towns DPA had not been able to open a campaign
office or fly their party flags. He said that DUI was
desperate because when they voted in parliament for early
elections they thought they had a deal with Prime Minister
Gruevski that he would take DUI into his coalition after the
election, but now it is clear that Gruevski had betrayed them
and would form a coalition with DPA. Additionally, according
to Thaci, DUI was worried because the Kosovars who had helped
DUI in past elections had not been able to come to Macedonia
during this campaign because Thaci's excellent relations with
Kosovar leaders had prevented any such movement across the
border.



4. (C) The Ambassador noted that she and Fouere had told
Gruevski that in towns where the violence had occurred some
of the police, and especially the under-cover "Alpha" police
units, did not appear to be acting in a non-partisan manner
and should be rotated somewhere else and replaced with police
from other parts of Macedonia until after the election (ref
A). Thaci said that he had no influence over the police, and
claimed that the Deputy Minister of Interior had been
sidelined within the ministry, but that DPA would do
everything within its power to fire police if there were
evidence they had been involved in violence. He added that
if the police were rotated out of the problematic areas he
could not be held responsible for what might happen. Thaci
did agree, at the suggestion of the Ambassador, that DPA
would be willing to coordinate with DUI and the police on
scheduling rallies and other election events to avoid
possible confrontations, as had been done successfully in

2006.


5. (C) Thaci also harshly criticized Gruevski, stating that
Gruevski was deliberately stimulating conflict between the
ethnic Albanian parties to conceal his manipulation of the

SKOPJE 00000333 002 OF 002


elections. Thaci said that Gruevski did not believe in fair
elections and controlled the Macedonian language media.
Despite his angry criticism of Gruevski as a man who was
trying to make Thaci look bad, Thaci confidently predicted
that DPA, not DUI, would ultimately enter a coalition
government with Gruevski's VMRO party.

Ahmeti: Provoked But Trying To Keep The Situation Calm
-------------- --------------

6. (C) In a separate meeting with Ahmeti, the Ambassador and
Fouere also urged him to use his influence to prevent any
further campaign related violence. They noted that most of
the violence had thus far appeared to be directed at DUI
buildings and members, including Ahmeti himself, and they
commended Ahmeti for calling for calm in reaction to the
violent provocations. They requested that he direct the DUI
party members to promote a free and fair election by allowing
DPA to campaign in those towns where DUI has a strong
presence. The Ambassador also noted the negative image that
had been created when the DUI mayor of Gostivar had closed
the schools during a DUI rally in the nearby city of Tetovo,
reportedly to increase the size of the crowd.


7. (C) Ahmeti thanked the U.S. and EU for publicly calling
for an end to the violence and said that, despite the
continued provocations from DPA, he was trying to avoid any
violent reaction by DUI members. He urged the Ambassador and
Fouere to not "put the victims and the criminals in the same
bag" by equating the actions of DUI and DPA. He said that he
had told Gruevski that there were convicted criminals in the
police force who were supporting DPA, and that DUI was
compiling a list of names of these people that they would
provide to the OSCE. The Ambassador requested that Ahmeti
share the list with the Embassy so that the Embassy could
discuss these individuals with GOM authorities.


8. (C) Ahmeti welcomed the U.S./EU suggestion to rotate
members of the police out of the "hot spots" during the
campaign. He demurred on having DUI and DPA members
coordinate directly on avoiding potential conflicting
campaign events, but agreed to coordinate with the police on
this.

Comment: Message Received - Result Uncertain
--------------

9. (C) Thaci and Ahmeti received the clear message from the
Ambassador and Fouere that campaign related violence was
damaging to Macedonia and the legitimacy of the ethnic
Albanian parties. However, both leaders see this election as
critical to their parties' future and hope that a strong
showing will make the case that their party should be a
member of Gruevski's coalition after the election - with all
the accompanying opportunities for advancing their policy
goals but also their patronage and influence in government
institutions. Given the high stakes, exhortations from the
international community for free and fair elections may have
limited impact. One day after these meetings, on the night
of May 17, a DUI party building was shot at (it was
unoccupied at the time) and a DPA building's windows were
reportedly broken. The police are reportedly preparing to
arrest DPA-affiliated suspects in the shooting, according to
MOI sources.
MILOVANOVIC