SERBIA: CODEL VOINOVICH DISCUSSES EUROPEAN INTEGRATION,

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000334 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON MARR SR SUBJECT: SERBIA: CODEL VOINOVICH DISCUSSES EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, KOSOVO REF: BELGRADE 90; BELGRADE 130 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) During their February 17-19 visit to Belgrade, Senator Voinovich and Senator Shaheen expressed strong support for Serbia's European aspirations and urged the government to tackle remaining challenges including domestic reforms and finding a modus vivendi with Kosovo in the wake of the International Court of Justice opinion. They also thanked the Serbian leadership for pursuing the Kosovo issue through peaceful mechanisms. The Senators heard from interlocutors that NATO membership is not a near-term prospect, but continued participation in Partnership for Peace is seen as a valuable means of promoting reform. President Tadic and Foreign Minister Jeremic expressed the intent to resolve outstanding bilateral issues with neighboring countries, including adopting a parliamentary resolution on Srebrenica, while Defense Minister Sutanovac called for a revision of the Military-Technical Agreement with NATO. Prime Minister Cvetkovic emphasized the government's commitment to fighting organized crime and expressed the hope that additional U.S. investment would flow to Serbia. Newly-elected Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church told the Senators that "it would be normal" for Serbia to join the European Union, and expressed concern for Kosovo Serbs. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Senator George Voinovich (R-OH, Senate Appropriations Committee) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH, Senate Foreign Relations Committee) visited Serbia February 17-19. They were accompanied by Senate staffers Joseph Lai, Chad Kreikemeier, and Angela Youngen. President Tadic -------------- ¶3. (SBU) During a two-hour luncheon with the Senators on February 18, President Boris Tadic repeatedly emphasized EU membership as Serbia's main goal, acknowledging that more work remains to be done to complete crucial economic and other reforms, especially with respect to solidifying Serbia's commitment to European values. He also acknowledged that while the entire Western Balkans region shares the strategic goal of European integration, approaches toward NATO differ. While residual public anger would make it difficult to advance NATO membership for Serbia before the 2012 elections, Tadic said Serbia fully supported NATO integration of all of its neighbors, including Bosnia, which he had advocated in conversations with Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and other Bosnian Serb leaders. Tadic underscored Serbia's commitment to cooperation with the U.S. on fighting organized crime; the Senators commended him on the political courage he has displayed in fighting corruption and implementing judicial reform. Tadic said Europe and others would ultimately pay a high price if the Western Balkans and Turkey were not integrated into Europe in the near to medium term. He emphasized Serbia's commitment to working with Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Albania and other neighbors to resolve other issues in the region. He also confirmed his commitment to working with parliament to adopt a resolution on Srebrenica within the next few weeks. ¶4. (SBU) With regard to Kosovo, Tadic and his Foreign Policy Advisor Jovan Ratkovic called for a "realistic and sustainable solution" that would offset the ongoing sense of defeat and humiliation for Serbia and acknowledge the "facts on the ground" that Serbs in northern Kosovo would never accept rule by Pristina. They emphasized Serbia would be very flexible and defend its interests in Kosovo only by diplomatic and legal means but asserted that the "endgame on Kosovo" remained the last danger for Serbia's EU vision. They called for opening quiet discussions, including with Pristina, on creative compromises or "win-win" solutions, stating that failure to find such new accommodations would be destabilizing and play into the hands of radical political rivals. They also called for U.S. and NATO flexibility in modifying the air and ground safety zone restrictions embodied in the Kumanovo Agreement. The Senators thanked Tadic for pursuing the Kosovo issue through peaceful mechanisms. Foreign Minister Jeremic -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In a February 19 meeting, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told the Senators that Serbia had passed through its most difficult period in 2008 and considered EU membership its main strategic objective. He expressed concern about EU enlargement fatigue, while emphasizing that Serbia would continue toward a future in the EU. Describing Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo as the two main unresolved issues in the Balkans, Jeremic said Bosnia was more complicated to resolve than Kosovo and required "strategic thinking." Serbia's approach to Bosnia, Jeremic continued, was focused on promoting reconciliation between the three constituent peoples, preserving Bosnia's territorial integrity, and achieving passage of a parliamentary resolution on Srebrenica by the largest possible margin. He said that Serbia supported EU visa liberalization as well as granting Bosnia-Herzegovina NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) status. ¶6. (SBU) Jeremic asserted that Serbia's approach to Kosovo marked the first time in the history of the Balkans that a state addressed a territorial dispute by purely peaceful means, and that Serbia would not go to war over Kosovo. Dodging Senator Voinovich's questions on appropriate levels of NATO troops and the need to focus on quality of life issues for Kosovo Serbs, Jeremic expressed concern that an ICJ ruling in Kosovo's favor would create a precedent that would enable Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina to secede. Emphasizing Serbia's commitment to dealing with Kosovo through peaceful methods, Jeremic described Serbia's Kosovo policy by paraphrasing the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin that "we will pursue compromise [with Kosovo] as if there were no independence, and oppose independence as if there were no compromise." Defense Minister Sutanovac -------------- ¶7. (SBU) In a February 18 meeting with Senators Voinovich and Shaheen, Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac highlighted his Ministry's very strong relationship with the United States, crediting the Ohio National Guard - State Partnership Program. Sutanovac identified his top three goals as professionalization to create an all volunteer armed forces, the development of a regional peacekeeping training center at South Base, and the continuation of close working relations in the region. Sutanovac said that along with peacekeepers in Chad, the Ministry of Defense was negotiating with the Spanish to participate with them in peacekeeping operations in Lebanon and was very willing to deploy with the Hungarians and Slovaks in Cyprus. Sutanovac said he supported the MAP process for Bosnia and Herzegovina and that it should be looked at as a tool, rather than a reward. ¶8. (SBU) Sutanovac expressed frustration with a recent campaign by 200 intellectuals to call for a referendum on Serbia's NATO membership, alleging that public support for membership had fallen from 27% to 20% as a result. He also said that events in Kosovo had a negative impact on public support for NATO membership, such as Secretary General Rasmussen's support for the Peter Feith plan for integration of northern Kosovo, as well as NATO's role in forming the Kosovo Security Force (KSF). Sutanovac highlighted the full democratic control over the military in Serbia, boasting that under his leadership the military had gone from low public support to being the most trusted institution in Serbia. ¶9. (SBU) Sutanovac appealed for more international support for the Serbian Military and the work he is doing; said that the MOD would welcome more financial support; claimed that FMF funding for 20-30 HUMVEES would improve Serbian public opinion of the U.S; pushed for better U.S. participation in the next air show; and expressed concern about the challenges of reintegrating Serbian military students trained at U.S. service academies into the Serbian military. Prime Minister Cvetkovic -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Prime Minister Cvetkovic told Senators Voinovich and Shaheen on February 18 that U.S. -Serbia relations were improving, especially following Vice President Biden's visit to Serbia in May ¶2009. Cvetkovic said that the government coalition in Serbia had one key pillar - EU integration - and emphasized that Serbia's EU December 2009 membership application (Ref A) represented the formal decision of the government that Serbia's future was in the EU. Cvetkovic told the Senators that Serbia hoped to receive candidacy status from the EU in 2010. Cvetkovic welcomed the $1.6 billion in U.S. foreign investment in Serbia and said he hoped for more. He added that U.S.-Serbia military cooperation was strong, particularly with the Ohio National Guard, but added that NATO membership was not on Serbia's agenda at this time. Cvetkovic highlighted the Serbian government's commitment to fight organized crime, including its successful cooperation with the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency. Senator Voinovich said that corruption was an important challenge in the region that needed to be addressed. ¶11. (SBU) Cvetkovic said Serbia would only use diplomacy and peaceful means to fight for Kosovo. The Prime Minister told the Senators that Serbia wanted new negotiations that would result in a mutually acceptable solution. Cvetkovic said the government was still discussing internally its approach to Kosovo and that while there were signals that Serbia should put forward a proposal on Kosovo this would be premature. ¶12. (SBU) Senator Voinovich praised the work of President Tadic and the government to advance Serbia's EU accession. Voinovich encouraged Cvetkovic to think about Serbia's relationship with Kosovo following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion, noting that he had encouraged leaders in Kosovo to do the same. Senator Shaheen said that businesses looked at many aspects of the business climate, including political stability, and a solution to Kosovo issues would improve stability and the business environment for foreign investment. Senator Shaheen said that during the delegation's meetings in Bosnia, leaders there had expressed appreciation for Serbia's statements and efforts to support Bosnia's territorial integrity. Patriarch Irinej -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Patriarch Irinej met with Senators Voinovich and Shaheen on February 18. In response to Senator Voinovich's comment that the SOC historically had had an important role to play in society, Irinej said that the SOC had always been part of the people through good and bad. He emphasized that the SOC had never been part of the state and had always tried to advance democracy. Irinej said the SOC's centuries-old presence in Kosovo was vital and expressed concern about the safety and quality of life of Kosovo Serbs, asserting that none of the perpetrators of the 2004 vandalism of churches and monasteries had ever been prosecuted. He said the timing and details of his enthronement in Pec in Kosovo (Ref B) were still being worked out. ¶14. (SBU) Replying to Senator Voinovich's question about the SOC's position on Serbia's future EU accession, Irinej replied that "it would be normal," as Serbia was part of Europe and European culture. In response to the Senators' comments on stability in the western Balkans, Irinej responded that the Balkans would be better off if the former Yugoslavia still existed. He said "some individuals had the wrong desires" during the years when former Yugoslav republics had declared independence. In addition to ties to the EU, Irinej noted the importance of U.S. support to Serbia, stating that U.S. opinions of Serbia and our example of freedom and democracy were essential. Comment -------------- ¶15. (SBU) The visit of Senator Voinovich and Senator Shaheen was the first full-fledged congressional delegation to visit Belgrade since Codel Bean in July 2007. The opportunity for dialogue with the highest levels of the Serbian government, as well as the positive press coverage, advanced our top policy goals of supporting Serbia's EU aspirations while pushing for a more pragmatic approach on Kosovo. End Comment. ¶16. (U) This cable was cleared by Senator Voinovich and Senator Shaheen. WARLICK