AUSTRIA: KOSOVO RECOGNITION, STEERING GROUP, OSCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000210

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2023
TAGS: PREL UNMIK YI AU EU OSCE
SUBJECT: AUSTRIA: KOSOVO RECOGNITION, STEERING GROUP, OSCE
DISCUSSION

REF: (A) STATE 13716 (B) STATE 12026 (C) STATE 14284

Classified By: Econ/Pol Couns Dean Yap. Reason: 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (U) Econ/Pol Couns met 2/12 with MFA Acting Southeast
Europe Department Director Thomas Schnoell to review Austrian
plans for recognition of Kosovo membership in the Kosovo ISG,
and related issues.

Austrian Recognition
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2. (C) Schnoell reported that recognition involved a
three-step process that begins with a decision in the
cabinet. The cabinet meets only on Wednesdays and Schnoell
said no special session of the cabinet is foreseen to deal
with recognition. In addition, in the coming week, Foreign
Minister Plassnik will be unavailable because of the EU GAERC
on Monday. Once the cabinet decision is taken, a message
will be sent to President Fischer requesting that he
authorize the Foreign Minister to recognize Kosovo. Fischer
would sign that message and transmit it to the Foreign
Minister, whereupon she would issue a statement of
recognition. Schnoell said that the process would be
completed "quickly," and, if independence were declared this
coming weekend, formal recognition would happen by February

22. He added that there would be no doubt possible, even
before a cabinet decision, about what Austria's position was.

International Steering Group (ISG)
--------------


3. (C) Schnoell was aware of the intention to nominate
Austria as a member of the ISG and said that Austria would
accept the invitation and attendant responsibilities. He
welcomed the additional information on the group's make-up,
responsibilities, and initial tasks.

OSCE/Berlin Mechanism
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4. (C) Schnoell reported that the Slovenian Presidency was in
the process of coordinating a common position that would
reject Serbian invocation of the Berlin Mechanism. He was
confident that the member states would agree on this and that
none would support invocation of the Mechanism. He noted
that, with a united EU front, the Serbs would not be able to
assemble the needed twelve countries in support of their
request. However, he noted that Serbia would be within its
rights to call a special session of the OSCE Permanent
Council which, he thought, would probably happen.

EU Situation
--------------


5. (C) The Spanish position, Schnoell said, had hardened over
the last week, which would offer cover for smaller member
states with doubts about an active EU policy on Kosovo. At
the Feb. 18 GAERC, Schnoell foresees a difficult effort to
agree on language that will allow the EU to move forward on
projects such as the ESDP mission, while at the same time not
appearing to prejudge the recognition decision for all member
states. In addition to Spain, Schnoell identified Cyprus and
Romania as of particular concern.
Kilner