EUR DAS JONES' MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TOPI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000796

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AL
SUBJECT: EUR DAS JONES' MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TOPI

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN WITHERS FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d).


1. (C) Summary: On October 30, President Bamir Topi told DAS
Jones that Albania is moving forward with governmental
reforms, although at times the debate is "harsh." He
specifically cited Ambassador Withers, public statements as
playing a helpful role in promoting independent institutions,
thanked the U.S. for its assistance and called U.S.
ratification of Albania's NATO invitation a "joyous" moment
for Albania. He said Albania is playing a moderating role in
the region and maintained that Serbia, which still perceives
itself as the dominant power among the former Yugoslav
states, should look more to the West for its future. He said
Kosovo still needs lots of assistance but emphasized that the
region is largely committed to a "Euro-Atlantic vision."
Albania also fully supports NATO membership for Georgia and
Ukraine, according to Topi. End summary.

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Grateful for US support for NATO membership
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2. (C) On October 30, President Bamir Topi expressed his
gratitude to the U.S. for its assistance to Albania. Topi
said it was a "joyous" moment when the Senate ratified the
treaty concerning Albania's entry into NATO and added the
U.S. is responsible for Albania's entry. Albania, he said, is
trying very hard to make reforms in order "to fully deserve"
entry into NATO. He noted advances in judicial and electoral
institutions, saying that the 2009 elections are the most
important issue now, and that everything else will flow from
them. Topi declared his commitment to judicial reform,
noting that the debate between the government, the judiciary,
and the prosecutor can be "harsh." He specifically welcomed
Ambassador Withers, public statements in support of
independent institutions. He said that, in Albanian,s
nascent democracy, these international inputs played a useful
role. DAS Jones urged Topi to do all he could to help
continue to build independent democratic institutions and
support them politically and economically.


3. (C) Topi described the moderating role Albania has played
and will continue to play in the region and expressed
appreciation for the close cooperation between the U.S and
Albania in the Western Balkans. Given the large emigre
population in Montenegro, Macedonia, and Greece, the GOA
works hard to preserve contacts with the Albanian parties in
these countries, and uses its influence with these groups to
press for stability.


4. (C) DAS Jones thanked Topi for all the support he and his
country have given to help stabilize the region as well as
for troop contributions in both Iraq and Afghanistan. DAS
Jones noted that Kosovo would not be where it is today
without Albanian support, and he urged Topi to work closely
with his Kosovar counterpart to develop the latter,s economy.


5. (C) Topi thanked once again the US, stating that the
peaceful road to Kosovo,s independence would not have been
possible without the U.S. He agreed that Kosovo must be
assisted. To that end, he stressed regional partnerships and
said that he has seen progress in the region in terms of
cooperation. He characterized regional meetings of Balkan
Presidents as positive and noted that on November 3, the
President of Kosovo will visit Albania. Topi said he plans
to visit Montenegro and Croatia in the coming months and the
Slovenian President will visit early next year. All the
dialogues, he said, focus on how to move toward the West. In
a regional meeting in Dubrovnik, for example, the Balkan
leaders discussed regional issues in a positive atmosphere,
focusing on economic issues, including the improvement of
infrastructure. DAS Jones urged Topi to push the Kosovars to
focus on their economy and create a positive investment
environment.


6. (C) According to Topi, Serbia still perceives itself as
the dominant power in the region; but it needs to move away
from its old thinking and embrace the Euro-Atlantic vision.
He has met Serbian President Boris Tadic several times, both
bilaterally and multilaterally, and, aware of the great
internal debate within Serbia, Albania has expressed its
support for Tadic. The two sides have discussed Kosovo, and
while Tadic is trying to distance himself from the
conservatives in his country, he still maintains a tough
position on Kosovo. Topi painted the issue as a matter of
political will. He said it is better for not only Serbia,
but the entire Balkan Peninsula to have a Western focus and
be united. Such a movement would bring peace, he said, and
remove much of the tension that remains. Finally, Topi raised
briefly the Russian aggression against Georgia. He believes
that the future of Georgian and Ukraine lies in NATO and that

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GOA is in full accordance with the U.S. on this.


7. (U) DAS Jones cleared this cable.
WITHERS