SERBIAN MFA SEES IRAN THROUGH KOSOVO PRISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L BELGRADE 000847 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY ANKARA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO USOFFICE ALMATY AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/09/24 TAGS: PREL PGOV SR IR SUBJECT: SERBIAN MFA SEES IRAN THROUGH KOSOVO PRISM REF: STATE 95073; 08 BELGRADE 1186; 08 BELGRADE 1167 CLASSIFIED BY: Deborah Mennuti, Chief of Political Section, State, POL; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Summary: According to the Serbian MFA, until the International Court of Justice issues its advisory opinion Serbia will use its ties with Iran to seek continued support on Kosovo rather than pushing for engagement with the P5+1 on nuclear issues or condemning gross violations of human rights. FM Jeremic's recent appointment of a Kosovo hardliner to head the Directorate for Africa and the Middle East is a sign that the MFA will continue to view both regions through the Kosovo prism for the foreseeable future. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Pol Chief on September 21 raised Ref A points with Miroslav Sestovic, head of the MFA's Directorate for Africa and the Middle East since May, encouraging Serbia to use its ties with Iran to press for dialogue with the P-5+1 on nuclear issues and to condemn gross violations of human rights. Pol Chief also expressed concern about Serbia's reluctance to support resolutions critical of Iran in international fora and asked if this was a continuation of the policy implemented in 2008 in return for Iran's support on the referral of Kosovo's declaration of independence to the International Court of Justice (Refs B, C). ¶3. (C) Sestovic claimed that Kosovo was only one element of Serbia's approach to Iran, which he described as part of a broader outreach effort to the Muslim world and the Non-Aligned Movement motivated by economic interests. Sestovic said that for at least the next few months, i.e. until the ICJ renders its advisory opinion, Serbia would not support resolutions condemning Iran unless there was complete international consensus on them. He said that Serbia had and would continue to encourage Iran to engage in dialogue with the international community (as outlined in the recent Iranian non-paper),but demurred as to whether that included a specific push for engagement with the P5+1 on nuclear issues. Sestovic added that Serbia and Iran would soon exchange ambassadors (they currently have charges),which might permit franker dialogue. He mentioned that during his recent visit, Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman had pushed for a tougher Serbian approach to Iran; FM Jeremic had responded that as a matter of principle Serbia did not support sanctions and would only comply with UNSC resolutions. Note: The Israeli Ambassador told us that Lieberman had been "furious" with Serbia's position on Iran, and also expressed frustration that the Serbian media did not cover FM Lieberman's public statements about Iran during the visit. End Note. ¶4. (SBU) Charge conveyed Ref A message on September 21 to Dusan Crnogorcevic, new head of the MFA's Americas Directorate, noting that Serbia's consistent refusal to take a position on human rights violations in Iran had been noticed in Washington and threatened to undermine Serbia's standing with the European Union. ¶5. (C) Comment: Although Sestovic claimed that Serbia's policy on Iran was not dictated by the Kosovo issue, his subsequent heated comments - including that the U.S. "unilateral recognition of Kosovo" had harmed Serbia's relations with the EU and forced it to turn elsewhere for support - revealed his true worldview. Sestovic, a career diplomat and former PM Kostunica's foreign policy advisor, can be expected to use his position to continue Serbia's anti-recognition campaign in all possible fora in Africa and the Middle East. Although FM Jeremic and the MFA have been largely sidelined from top-level foreign policy decisions in favor of the Presidency's small foreign policy team, they retain the ability to play an unhelpful role on issues such as Iran. End Comment. PEDERSON