MACEDONIA: DPA LEADER THACI ON ICTY CASES, NAME

UNCLAS SKOPJE 000617

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: NATO PGOV PHUM PREL KV AL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: DPA LEADER THACI ON ICTY CASES, NAME
ISSUE


1. (SBU) Summary: The prosecution of the returned Hague cases
by the Macedonian justice system is a violation of the 2002
amnesty law, ethnic Albanian DPA leader Menduh Thaci told
Ambassador Reeker in their first meeting October 3. Thaci
also said the October 2 meeting of the four major political
parties was a "circus" and showed the irresponsibility of the
other leaders. Additionally, he explained his reasons for
his party's boycott of Parliament and said that they would
return as soon as Parliament agreed to recognize Kosovo's
independence. End summary.


2. (SBU) The prosecution of the four Hague cases that were
returned to Macedonia by the International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is a violation of the 2002
amnesty law, Thaci told the Ambassador in their first meeting
October 3. Thaci said the opening of these cases implies
Albanian guilt and trying them could create larger problems
in Macedonia. Thaci believes the best resolution is for the
application of the amnesty law to be debated and voted on in
Parliament. Thaci said he told Prime Minister Gruevski he
understood it was difficult for the PM to concede anything to
DUI Leader Ahmeti on the cases since Ahmeti's party had
previously been guerillas in the 2001 conflict, adding he
offered to publicly support the PM on any concessions he
wanted to make. The Ambassador stressed that the cases must
be resolved in a fair and transparent manner with the
participation of all sides.


3. (SBU) Thaci reported that the October 2 meeting of the
four major political parties was a "circus," and that the
other party leaders (except him, of course) displayed a
complete "lack of maturity and responsibility" for the future
of the country. Thaci was referring to a dispute that arose
when representatives from the opposition SDSM asked Gruevski
to clarify his stance on the name issue, with a free-for-all
debate ensuing among the PM, SDSM, and DUI representatives
with no resolution. Without giving specifics, Thaci said the
PM's actions at the meeting were "ridiculous". Thaci
reinforced his support for accession to NATO, emphasizing
that accession is critical to e-Albanians and the future of
Macedonia, and insisted that the other leaders need to set
aside their differences and resolve the name issue
immediately. Thaci said he is pushing for more flexibility
from the GOM on the name issue.


4. (SBU) The Ambassador told Thaci that his party's
participation in Parliament is important to the democratic
process and the resolution of Macedonia's current political
issues. He encouraged him to end his boycott. Thaci replied
that his party would end its boycott of Parliament when
Parliament agreed to recognize Kosovo's independence. He
added that as the leader of an opposition party, he is the
voice of the "dissatisfied" and feels his party was putting
positive pressure on the government to resolve many
important, but unpopular issues through its boycott including
Kosovo recognition, the name issue, and the ICTY cases.


5. (SBU) The Ambassador emphasized that the June 2008
election violence was very damaging to Macedonia in the eyes
of the international community, noting the upcoming
Parliamentary elections next spring presented an excellent
opportunity for Thaci to display strong leadership by
ensuring those elections go smoothly. Thaci was receptive
and gracious throughout the meeting and appeared eager to
build a positive relationship with the Ambassador.
Reeker