UNSC CONSIDERS UNMIK: DRAMA BUT NO DIRECTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 USUN NEW YORK 000059 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC UNMIK KV YI SUBJECT: UNSC CONSIDERS UNMIK: DRAMA BUT NO DIRECTION ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. During a January 16 Security Council session on UNMIK, Serbian President Tadic said before the media that Serbia would never recognize Kosovo sovereignty but would not resort to violence under any circumstances. In a much longer non-public session: SRSG Rucker lauded the recent elections, especially participation in them by a small number of Kosovo Serbs in defiance of intimidation from Belgrade, and cited progress on Standards implementation; Kosovo Prime Minister Thaci described his new cabinet's plans to bring Kosovo's minorities further into Kosovo government and welcomed EU plans to raise its profile in Kosovo in accord with the Ahtisaari proposal; President Tadic said the only Standard that really matters is minority returns and criticized results to date on that score; several delegations directly or indirectly called for further final status negotiations (Russia, China, Vietnam, South Africa, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Libya, and Burkina Faso); and Ambassador Khalilzad and U.S. allies noted continued progress on Standards and suggested that Council gridlock on Kosovo's final status was obvious during its December 19 session and the subject need not be revisited. Russia also appealed to Council members to work together to develop a roadmap for maximum self-government for Kosovo. Russia and China acknowledged EU desire to play a larger role in Kosovo, but argued that UNSCR 1244 and Council precedent establish that UNMIK could be reconfigured only with the express consent of the Security Council. No Council action is currently planned on Kosovo before the next quarterly UNMIK report. END SUMMARY. Atmospherics -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In several Security Council consultations leading up to its January 16 session on the latest (December 31) quarterly report on UNMIK, Russia had insisted that Serbian President Boris Tadic be allowed to participate in an open UNSC meeting (i.e., a televised meeting with the public and interested UN General Assembly members in attendance). When Russia offered to drop its longstanding objection to direct participation in UNSC deliberations on UNMIK by officials of Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG), a deal was quickly struck. Tadic was invited to be the only speaker at an open session (in prime television time in Serbia four days before he was to face re-election) and Kosovo Prime Minister Thaci was invited to speak along with SRSG Joachim Rucker and Tadic during a follow-on private meeting (a non-televised session with UNGA members in attendance). Unlike the frosty noninteraction evident between Serbian Prime Minister Kostunica and Kosovo President Sejdiu (with Thaci accompanying) during a December 19 Council session, the Tadic and Thaci delegations reportedly met privately in the hours before the January 16 session. Tadic and Thaci also each referred directly and collegially to the other during their interventions in the private Council meeting and shook hands on the way out. Tadic: If You Victimize Serbia Again, We Will React -- Nonviolently -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Speaking in Serbian in the open session, President Tadic started right in on final status, describing Serbia as a constructive negotiator which had proposed various models of substantial autonomy as the key to compromise. He said he regretted that Kosovo Albanians were fixated on Slobodan Milosevic's "mistakes" and were unable to appreciate that the Milosevic regime victimized all Serbia, that the (NATO) bombing punished Serbian citizens rather than the real culprits, and that punishing the Serbian people again by taking away Kosovo would be tragic after Serbia had re-established itself as a peaceful and democratic country. He said "Serbia will never recognize Kosovo's independence and will preserve its territorial integrity and sovereignty by all democratic means" but tempered this with "Serbia will not resort to violence and war." He said "if any violence were to break out in Kosovo and if KFOR could not react and protect the Serbs in an approprite way, we are ready, and I underline with the agreement of competent international institutions ... to help and provide protection to the threatened population." He alleged that Kosovo today denied basic rights to Kosovo Serbs and that the disappointing level of Serb returnees to Kosovo reflected failure to build a multiethnic society. Tadic closed by reading a letter he said he had just received from a 15-year old Kosovo Serb girl (he did not give a name) who complained that her home was without electricity and appealed to him for protection because she lived in fear since her father was killed in the 1999 conflict. Thaci: Standards, Ahtisaari Keys to Kosovo's Multiethnic Future USUN NEW Y 00000059 002 OF 004 -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Kosovo Prime Minister Thaci participated in the session in his personal capacity in accord with UNSC Provisional Rule of Procedure 39. His appearance marked the first direct participation by a PISG official in a formal UNMIK session in the Security Council. He read his presentation in halting English and did not otherwise take the floor during the session. Less than a week in office, he spoke of the very recent formation of his government, highlighting its inclusion of two Kosovo Serbs and an ethnic Turk. He outlined plans to open a special office of communities within the prime minister's office and to more generally communicate with Kosovo Serbs to help them overcome Belgrade noncooperation and increase their participation in Kosovo institutions. He reaffirmed Kosovo's commitment to the Ahtisaari Plan and supervised independence as the best means of making Kosovo "a more democratic, multi-ethnic society that is fully integrated into European institutions." He welcomed European Union commitment to play an enhanced role in Kosovo, particularly in the police and justice sector. Addressing President Tadic directly, he said "with all respect, the last two years of failed negotiations have confirmed that Serbia and Kosovo will never agree to a union between them." In closing, Thaci asked all Council members, even those that had yet to embrace Ahtisaari's independence recommendation, to support efforts to "consolidate democracy, promote multi-ethnicity and create a more prosperous and secure region for all." Rucker: Pushing Standards Envelope But Constrained by Belgrade -------------- ¶5. (SBU) SRSG Rucker did not discuss final status in depth but placed his remarks in the context of the unresolved final status issue, saying "UNMIK has achieved the outer limits of what can be achieved" without final status determination. He added that "there is a sense of frustration among all the people" with the status process; "people want a decision; they do not want to live in uncertainty." He had praise for Kosovo's conduct of the November 17 elections, the fifth elections during UNMIK's existence, and blamed the low turnout (43 percent) on disinterest derived from deep disappointment with the status process. He noted the "very low" Kosovo Serb turnout but commended the 33 Kosovo Serb political entities that had registered for the ballot and strongly criticized "pressure" from Belgrade that led sixteen of these to withdraw and many Kosovo Serbs to stay away from the polls. He particularly criticized a Kosovo Coordination Center (CCK) "black list letter" from the Serb village of Gorazdevac that he said asked the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo to implement sanctions against Kosovo Serbs who voted "for alleged disloyalty to Belgrade." ¶6. (SBU) Rucker complained particularly that the CCK office in Mitrovica (in northern Kosovo) had been transformed into an office of Serbia's Ministry for Kosovo under a May 2007 Serbian law that presumed to empower the new office to administer the functions of Serbian institutions on Kosovo territory. He called these functions "clearly beyond the scope of liaison and coordination" as agreed between UNMIK and CCK and so a clear violation of Resolution 1244. ¶7. (SBU) Rucker agreed that returns figures remain disappointing, although he had praise for PISG and UNMIK efforts on returns. He suggested that many IDP's are awaiting a status decision before deciding what to do. On another Standard, Freedom of Movement, he contended that there has been significant improvement with one recent survey finding that 95 percent of Kosovo Serbs regularly travel outside their home areas and up to 98 percent of those surveyed expressing satisfaction with their degree of freedom to move about Kosovo. He said the situation could be improved still further if Serbia would recognize UNMIK-issued license plates, which do not indicate ethnic group or place of vehicle origin. Russia: Changes in Kosovo Administration Impossible Without UNSC Blessing -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Russian PermRep Churkin led off with an endorsement of Serbia's January 4 response to the SYG's report and a barrage of complaints about the circumstances of Kosovo Serbs: the IDP situation is far from good; (ICTY indictee) Haradinaj was released from custody for the holidays with no protections for potential witnesses; Kosovo Albanians refused to negotiate seriously during their election campaign. All this, Churkin said, "adds up to increased problems for Kosovo Serbs and explains their reluctance to be involved in the elections." USUN NEW Y 00000059 003 OF 004 ¶9. (SBU) Most of the remainder of Ambassador Churkin's presentation was a legalistic argument that past practice and the plain language of UNSCR 1244 and the November 5, 2001 UNMIK-Belgrade Joint Document combine to prohibit changes to the international presence in Kosovo without express Security Council authorization. He reminded Council members that a Russian proposal -- including the continuation of negotiations -- remains on the table and urged them to undertake to lay out a "roadmap" envisioning a maximum degree of Kosovo self-government, an appropriate distribution of authorities between Belgrade and Pristina, and a reformatting of the international presence. Although expressing understanding of the EU desire to heighten its role, he insisted that any change in Kosovo's administration should be blessed by the Council. In an ostensible effort to be conciliatory, he said "why not synchronize EU accession and the final status process; this could be reflected in the roadmap." China: In Battle of Principles, Territorial Integrity Trumps Regionalism -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Chinese PermRep Wang had high praise for the efforts of the Troika as "demonstrating a basic principle of resolution of international disputes in that it reflected a process agreed to by both parties." He said the Kosovo problem is European in nature, but added that "its resolution has repercussions for other regions." He said China notes the EU interest in playing a greater role, but added that "any effort must get Security Council approval" and that "any effort should enhance prospects for dialogue." Wang closed by saying that "China welcomes all constructive proposals on final status and trusts that the Security Council will discuss them all." Vietnam, South Africa, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Libya, Burkina Faso Arguably Follow Suit -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Vietnamese PermRep Minh also praised the Troika effort and urged the parties, Security Council, and UNMIK to continue dialogue and negotiations, adding that any solution must be based on respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Minh closed by saying "the question is not only whether the journey we have to take is shorter or longer, but also if the solution we find at the end of it is less or more long lasting." ¶12. (SBU) South African PermRep Kumalo's prepared remarks included several technical questions for SRSG Rucker and a suggestion that the parties might still want to achieve a lasting solution notwithstanding their acrimonious negotiations. In an off-the-cuff comment, however, he added, in an evident reference to the Russian roadmap proposal, that "South Africa welcomes the proposal of another way of helping the parties in their deliberations." ¶13. (SBU) Indonesian PermRep Natalegawa said the Kosovo issue should be seen from a European perspective, but also saw a continuation of a final status process, saying "the final status process should not be prejudged as UNMIK implements Standards." Costa Rican PermRep Urbina said compliance with international law is essential to preservation of the credibility of the United Nations. Libyan PermRep Ettalhi said "resolving final status is important, but final status must take into account the views of all of Kosovo's communities." Burkina Faso PermRep Kafando welcomed relative good news regarding Kosovo security but said the Council faces a real dilemma on final status. U.S. Focuses on EU Role, Ahtisaari -- Avoids Status Debate -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Ambassador Khalilzad said he would not debate final status in the session because "we have agreed to focus on the UNMIK report" and because "we have had our debate. We have been there and done that. We all know that the Council was and is blocked on the matter." He went on to commend UNMIK and the PISG for the recent elections, express concern over Belgrade's effort to spark a Serb boycott, urge President Tadic to release Kosovo Serbs to participate in Kosovo's democracy, second SRSG Rucker concern over the Mitrovica office opened by the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo, and urge Prime Minister Thaci to continue to work to end discrimination against Kosovo Serbs. Ambassador Khalilzad expressly welcomed EU readiness to play an enhanced role in Kosovo. COMMENT -------------- USUN NEW Y 00000059 004 OF 004 ¶15. (SBU) Notwithstanding the drama engendered by President Tadic's stump speech and Prime Minister Thaci's historic participation, no significant new ground was tread during the long session on Kosovo. No Council action is currently planned on Kosovo before the next quarterly UNMIK report. KHALILZAD