Serbia: Prime Minister Protests Bogdanovic Removal from

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BELGRADE 000072

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO SR KV
SUBJECT: Serbia: Prime Minister Protests Bogdanovic Removal from
Kosovo

REF: PRISTINA 25

Summary

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1. (SBU) On January 13 the Prime Minister convoked Quint
Ambassadors and Charges to formally protest Kosovo Minister
Bogdanovic's expulsion from Kosovo earlier that day (reftel). The
government released a statement about the meeting to highlight
their protest of the action. The incident received wide press
coverage. End Summary.



PM Calls in the Quint

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2. (SBU) Prime Minister Cvetkovic called in Quint Ambassadors and
Charges late on January 13 to protest the removal of Kosovo
Minister Goran Bogdanovic from Kosovo earlier that day (reftel).
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Political Director Borko Stefanovic
accompanied the PM. Cvetkovic said that Bogdanovic had been
detained near Strpce by more than 40 members of the Kosovo Police
special forces, in the presence of EULEX and KFOR. He was escorted
to Gate 3 (Merdare),in the opposite direction of Bogdanovic's home
in Kosovo. The PM protested that this action violated his civil
rights as Bogdanovic was a "citizen of Kosovo", he had a residence
in Kosovo and was traveling in a private car with Kosovo plates and
had an UNMIK issued ID card. The PM said that Bogdanovic had not
broken any law and that the Serbian government protested this
action, which violated Bogdanovic's human rights. Cvetkovic
asserted that Bogdanovic had given verbal notification of his
intention to travel according to established procedures and had not
received any reply.




3. (SBU) UK Ambassador Wordsworth replied that it was important to
gather all of the facts about what happened. He said that the EU
Personal Representative's office had been in touch with Bogdanovic
to advise him that his travel had not been approved and that he
should not attempt to travel to Strpce. The PM reiterated the
assertion that Bogdanovic's travel was purely private and there was
no reason for his detention and removal. He also returned to the
points that Bogdanovic was a resident of Kosovo traveling in a
private car with Kosovo plates, carrying an UNMIK ID, and had not
broken any Kosovo laws.




4. (SBU) Immediately following the meeting, Cvetkovic's office
posted a press release. The text of the release follows:



Cvetkovic Protests Pristina's Decision to Deny Bogdanovic Visit to
Strpce. Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic has urgently
contacted the ambassadors of Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy
and the U.S. to convey the Serbian government's protest over the
decision by Pristina authorities to prevent Minister for
Kosovo-Metohija Goran Bogdanovic from entering the municipality of
Strpce, in Kosovo-Metohija. Cvetkovic stressed that such
violations of human rights and the right of freedom of movement in
the southern Serbian province cannot be tolerated. He sought the
support of these countries for condemning such steps by EULEX and
KFOR and for efforts to create decent living conditions in
Kosovo-Metohija.



Note: During the meeting Cvetkovic referred only to the presence
of EULEX and KFOR when Bogdanovic was stopped by the Kosovo police.
He did not request that the Quint condemn EULEX or KFOR actions.
End note.



Kosovo Ministry Officials Admit the Visit Was Not Personal

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5. (SBU) On January 14, Kosovo Ministry Assistant Minister Dragan
Petkovic and Bogdanovic's Chief of Staff Vlada Jovicic told us and
Deputy of the EU Personal Representative's office, Ben Crampton,
that the expulsion had further aggravated a delicate situation. (
Both Petkovic and Jovicic were expelled with Minister Bogdanovic on
January 13.) Both clearly admitted that they were there to visit
parallel schools and municipal authorities in Strpce, but said that
Bogdanovic had wanted to encourage all Serbs in the enclaves to
work together. Petkovic said there was increasing pressure "from
our communities and among the radicals" to show that Belgrade had
influence. "Even though we cooperate with the international
community, compared to our predecessors [Samardzic], we are being
humiliated," Petkovic said. On the side, both said the
humiliation was taking its toll on Bogdanovic, who was tiring of
his job. "Perhaps people like [northern hardliner] Marko Jaksic
are right. If they come to power, then we will see how much the
international community can do in Kosovo without our help,"
Petkovic said. Jovicic said he thought Bogdanovic may individually
call in Quint Ambassadors to express his personal frustration.
We reiterated that the agreed procedures had been violated and they
were told beforehand there would be consequences. We cautioned
them not to be shortsighted and not to sour their working relations
with either EULEX or KFOR.



President's Kosovo Advisor Concerned About Impact on Future Visits

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6. (SBU) President Tadic's Kosovo Advisor, Mladjan Djordjevic,
reiterated to us during a January 14 meeting the government's
unhappiness with the "poor message" that was sent by the Kosovo
authorities' decision to expel Bogdanovic. Djordjevic said that it
was a contradiction for the international community to tell Serbia
to influence the Kosovo Serbs and then to have visits denied:
"there is no influence without access." Djordjevic also expressed
concern for the future, saying that he had traveled to Kosovo twice
without problem under the "new procedures" of informing EU Personal
Representative Peter Sorensen. He and Mayor Djilas, who are both
leaders in the Nasa Srbija Foundation, are scheduled to travel to
Kosovo at the end of the month or in early February with a
foudation donation to Decani Monastery and to deliver a truck to a
village near Prizren, and Djordjevic wondered what impact the
Bogdanovic incident would have on these plans.



Press Offers Wide Coverage

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7. (U) All Serbian press covered the incident, although some were
more sensationalist and expressed greater outrage. Headlines
ranged from "Minister Attacked!" (Kurir) to "Bogdanovic Did Not
Respect the 'Procedure'" (Danas). Most media gave a very
straightforward account of the event, and some even solicited and
received exclusive statements from Kosovo authorities. The daily
Politika presented arguments from both sides of the debate, quoting
Kosovo's Ministry of Internal Affairs that Bogdanovic had three
days earlier "entered Kosovo on private business, which all
citizens of Kosovo have a right to do, but yesterday began some
political activities," which brought an end to the legality of his
visit. Much of the exchange between Bogdanovic and Kosovo police
was filmed by Serbian press who were traveling with the Minister,
and extended excerpts from the exchange were broadcast on evening
newscasts.



Comment

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8. (SBU) While the incident received top coverage on television,

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it did not make the front page of any Belgrade papers and some
buried the story as far back as page ten. Kosovo issues continue
to slide down the public's priorities even as President Tadic and
FM Jeremic increasingly focus their rhetoric on the
post-International Court of Justice opinion environment. The
Serbian government's line that Bogdanovic was traveling as a
private citizen was disingenuous. Ambassador Wordsworth told us
that he had spoken with MFA political director Borko Stefanovic
earlier in the day on January 13 and Stefanovic had admitted that
Bogdanovic's visit had been a mistake. Bogdanovic has chafed
under the visit procedures for months, complaining bitterly at
every opportunity that his requests had been rejected or had gone
unanswered. FM Jeremic will certainly highlight this incident in
the upcoming January 22 UNSC session on Kosovo. End Comment.
PEDERSON