FRENCH FEEDBACK ON KOSOVO RECOGNITION STRATEGY

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000217 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2019 TAGS: PREL AORC ICJ KV FR SUBJECT: FRENCH FEEDBACK ON KOSOVO RECOGNITION STRATEGY REF: STATE 11928 Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Young for reasons 1.4 b and d . (C) In response to reftel, on February 11 MFA Desk Officer for Kosovo Herve Boisguillaume told us France was in general agreement with the U.S. approach to Kosovo recognitions. Boisguillaume said that France made demarches on a number of Arab states two months ago, but were unable to convince others to join the UAE in recognizing Kosovo. He noted that Oman and Saudi Arabia continue to say they will recognize Kosovo, but have not yet done so. He concluded they may be good targets for our demarche. Boisguillaume said that France continues to encourage recognition by African states, but this message is muted by various sensitivities. He expressed a "personal" concern that the talking point about EULEX operating "hand-in-hand" with the Government of Kosovo might be poorly received by the five EU member-states that have not recognized Kosovo and have insisted that EULEX be status-neutral. Finally, Boisguillaume relayed PDAS-equivalent Edouard Beslay's offer of a complementary French demarche in any given state that we believe might be particularly receptive. COMMENT: Our MFA interlocutors appreciated the opportunity to consult on this shared priority, and would welcome further collaboration, per Beslay's suggestion. END COMMENT. PEKALA