SOUTH SERBIA: POLITICAL ROLLER COASTER CONTINUES AS

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000509 DEPT FOR EUR/SCE (PETERSON AND COFFIN) SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SR SUBJECT: SOUTH SERBIA: POLITICAL ROLLER COASTER CONTINUES AS COORDINATING BODY STRUGGLES REF: (A) Belgrade 292, (B) 08 Belgrade 800 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Coordinating Body for South Serbia is treading water just two months after the Serbian government and South Serbia Albanians pledged to work together to reanimate the body. Fallout from an OSCE-mediated agreement signed in March triggered the collapse of the Albanian ruling coalition in Presevo, while the lack of progress on including Serbs in the local government in Bujanovac led Belgrade to freeze further allocation of Coordinating Body funding to the municipality. In an atmosphere soured by these developments and heated public statements, the future of the Coordinating Body depends upon whether the ethnic Albanians and the government finally can put aside petty differences and a historical lack of trust to the benefit of the citizens of this economically depressed and ethnically mixed region. End Summary. March Agreement Creates Hope -------------- ¶2. (U) On March 27, Milan Markovic, Minister of State Administration and Local Self Government and Head of the Coordinating Body (CB) for Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja municipalities, and Riza Halimi, the sole ethnic Albanian member of the National Assembly, signed an agreement to restructure the CB on behalf of the government and South Serbia Albanians respectively. The CB is a government institution formed after an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the region in late 2000 to support development and better link South Serbians with the central government. The agreement, brokered by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),was essentially a declaration of intentions that committed the parties to establishing multiethnic local governments in Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja and to ensuring adequate inclusion of Albanians in local-level state institutions like courts and the police (Ref A). "Unholy Marriage" in Presevo Dissolves -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The agreement enjoyed a brief honeymoon in Presevo. Three ethnic Albanian political actors immediately criticized MP Halimi for failing to consult sufficiently with them in advance of signing the agreement. The Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA),led by Presevo Assembly President and Halimi's rival Ragmi Mustafa, then withdrew from its coalition with Halimi's Party for Democratic Action (PDD),bringing down a Presevo municipal government that many believed was doomed from its unlikely creation in July 2008 (Ref B). ¶4. (SBU) Following an intense period of negotiations, the kingmakers - the Democratic Union of the Valley headed by Skender Destani and a citizens' group represented by Naser Aziri - chose on May 20 to form a new government with Mustafa's DPA instead of with Halimi's PDD. The new coalition presented an interesting juxtaposition as it brought together two parties with diametrically opposed stances on the CB. Mustafa, who openly refers to the Presevo Valley as "Eastern Kosovo," consistently has refused to take part in the CB, while Destani, a mild-mannered doctor who proudly displays U.S., Albanian, and EU flags in his office, has been a strong supporter. Perhaps in a nod to this quandary, the coalition agreement between the parties did not define a position on the CB, leaving ample room for Mustafa and Destani to maneuver. Accusations Fly in Bujanovac -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Although initial reaction to the agreement in Bujanovac was muted, lack of progress toward creating a new local government that would include Serbs caused tensions to fester. Bujanovac Albanians, represented by Mayor Shaip Kamberi, were hesitant to bring Serbs into the ruling coalition until they received assurances that Belgrade would deliver on its promises to provide greater employment for Albanians in local-level state institutions. Local Serbs with whom the Albanian parties would form a coalition, the Democratic Party and the citizens' group led by Dr. Stojanca Arsic, in turn continued to insist on representation equivalent to Serbs' demographic strength in Bujanovac (approximately 35-40%) rather than the two groups' electoral strength (approximately 16%) in the May 2008 local elections. ¶6. (SBU) Parliamentary testimony during which Minister Markovic, frustrated by the absence of progress in Bujanovac, reportedly cast aspersions on the leadership of Mayor Kamberi and downplayed the influence of the CB, soured relations. The Minister then ordered a freeze on future CB financing for Bujanovac (approximately $1.2 million) until Serbs were included in the local government. MP Halimi and Mayor Kamberi reacted angrily and announced on May 22 that the Albanian parties were reconsidering their participation in the CB. CB Survives, Markovic Cautiously Optimistic -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The CB core presidency, which includes Minister Markovic, MP Halimi, and the mayors and assembly presidents of Presevo, Medvedja, and Bujanovac, met in Bujanovac on May 26 for the second time since the March agreement. Mayor Mustafa and Assembly President Destani represented the new Presevo ruling coalition, and Poloff and OSCE representatives attended as observers. ¶8. (SBU) Despite some verbal sparring between Markovic, Halimi, and Kamberi, a fuzzy roadmap forward emerged and the CB lived to see another day. Minister Markovic, as CB chair, urged Mayors Kamberi and Mustafa to redouble their efforts to include Serbs in the governments in Bujanovac and Presevo. He also stressed the need to form six functional working groups, staffed by specialists from municipalities and ministries as soon as possible. For his part, the Minister, who expressed "cautious optimism" in interviews following the session, undertook to advocate in Belgrade for increased employment opportunities for ethnic Albanians in five local-level state enterprises, such as the treasury and cadastre offices. ¶9. (SBU) During a June 3 meeting with the Ambassador, Minister Markovic said that the situation in Bujanovac had "tied his hands." Despite the fact that the move would be criticized, he had decided to address some of the "justified" requests put forth by his ethnic Albanian counterparts. Markovic said he intended to pursue education "aggressively," starting with opening a branch of Nis University in Medvedja in fall 2009, but also working at the primary and secondary school levels. He also told the Ambassador that he had met with Prime Minister Cvetkovic to discuss employment opportunities for ethnic Albanians and that he anticipated that the Prime Minister would instruct local-level state institutions to hire a certain number of ethnic Albanians; he however did not specify numbers or a timeframe. Comment -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Eight years after its founding, the Coordinating Body for South Serbia remains a bone of contention, rather than a forum for addressing the increasingly pressing needs of local citizens. With relations between the government and South Serbia Albanians frayed and the Coordinating Body hanging on by a thread, the momentum generated by the OSCE-brokered March agreement has dissipated. It will take statesmanship, and willingness to compromise, by both ethnic Albanians and government officials, to right the ship and get the CB back on course. End Comment. BRUSH