MACEDONIA: DEMARCHE FOR OSCE HUMAN DIMENSION

UNCLAS SKOPJE 000383 SIPDIS EUR FOR SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM OSCE MK SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: DEMARCHE FOR OSCE HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING DELIVERED REF: STATE 78227 Sensitive but unclassified -- please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) PolOff delivered reftel demarche on July 31 to Sanja Zografska-Krteska, MFA Deputy Head for Multilateral Affairs, and Nikolina Staleska, MFA Counselor for OSCE and Council of Europe. Zografska-Krteska thanked PolOff for sharing USG views on progress/concerns in areas of human rights and democracy in Macedonia ahead of the HDIM meeting. She noted special gratitude for U.S. recognition of Macedonia's progress in the conduct of 2009 elections following chaotic and violent 2008 parliamentary elections, and noted that a pilot program is in progress to update the bloated voter list in two municipalities, with plans to focus on a national-level update to the voter list. Zografska-Krteska assured us that Macedonia will continue to engage in robust anti-TIP efforts and seek to maintain its status as a Tier 1 country. ¶2. (SBU) Zografska-Krteska took special interest in U.S. concerns regarding lack of effective implementation of registration procedures for religious communities and groups under the 2007 law on the status of these groups. She was previously unaware of the serious problems in Skopje Court II with regard to delays in reviewing applications and seemingly extra-legal rejections of applications of religious groups/communities. She asked a number of questions on the details and promised to look into it ahead of the HDIM meeting. REEKER