SERBIA LOBBYING MALDIVES TO REVERSE KOSOVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000264 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, SCA/RA, AND EUR/SCE (SHIRATORI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2019 TAGS: PREL OPDC SR MV SUBJECT: SERBIA LOBBYING MALDIVES TO REVERSE KOSOVO RECOGNITION REF: COLOMBO 178 Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROBERT O. BLAKE, JR. REASONS: 1.4(b, d). ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request for EUR/SCE. Please see paragraph 3. ¶2. (C) Maldives Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed contacted Ambassador on March 6 to indicate that Maldives' recognition of Kosovo had become controversial within the government of Maldives. On March 9, Shaheed reported that Serbia was lobbying the government of Maldives intensively to get the recognition of Kosovo reversed. Shaheed noted that representatives of OTPOR, who have long-standing ties to President Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party, were speaking to President Nasheed directly in an attempt to influence the government of Maldives to de-recognize Kosovo. Shaheed told us that Srdja Popovic of the Center for Applied Non-Violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) and others were in Male to press Serbia's case in person. ¶3. (C) Shaheed confirmed that Embassy's request (reftel) for a short thank-you note from Secretary Clinton regarding the recogonition of Kosovo would be a "morale-booster" for the Kosovo supporters within the government of Maldives and would help to fend off the attempt to reverse the recognition of Kosovo. Post requests that Department forward a note by cable for Embassy to pass on to the government of Maldives on an urgent basis. BLAKE