(U) Secretary Clinton's January 20,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 008900 SIPDIS NOFORN BELGRADE PASS TO PODGORICA E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2020 TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY PREL NATO MW SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's January 20, 2010 Meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic ¶1. (U) Classified by: EUR A/S Nancy McEldowney, Acting, Reason 1.4.(d) ¶2. (U) January 20, 2010; 3:00 p.m.; Washington. ¶3. (U) Participants: U.S. The Secretary A/S Philip Crowley, Public Affairs DAS Stuart Jones, EUR Jeff Hovenier, NSC Director for Central and Eastern Europe Joe Macmanus, Executive Assistant to the Secretary Roksana Houge, EUR/SCE (Notetaker) Montenegro Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister Igor Luksic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Milan Rocen, Foreign Minister Miodrag Vlahovic, Ambassador to the U.S. Vojin Vlahovic, Chief of Prime Minister's Cabinet ¶4. (C/NF) Summary. Montenegrin Prime Minister (PM) Milo Djukanovic delivered two messages to the Secretary: Montenegro is moving steadily towards membership in NATO and the European Union (EU),and Montenegro will continue to support efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Balkans. Calling the U.S. a strong partner, the PM reiterated that the U.S. can count on Montenegro as a responsible partner and ally in the region and in Afghanistan. He also pledged to continue with rule of law reform in order to improve the quality of life for Montenegrin citizens and also meet NATO-EU standards. The Secretary expressed support for Montenegro's NATO-EU aspirations. She thanked Djukanovic for Montenegro's upcoming ISAF contributions, for establishing diplomatic relations with Kosovo, and for his positive role in the region, especially in Bosnia. She urged Djukanovic to intensify rule of law efforts and encouraged him to establish a taskforce to fight organized crime and corruption. End Summary -------------- Montenegro on the Right Path Towards NATO/EU -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) Thanking the Secretary for the strong U.S. support for Montenegro's Euro- Atlantic aspirations, Djukanovic assured her that Montenegro is on the right path and that Montenegro will work hard to meet NATO-EU standards. He thanked her personally for her support for MAP for Montenegro at the December 2009 NATO Ministerial and expressed his strong belief that Montenegro will be the next member of the Alliance. Noting that only 3 1/2 years after independence Montenegro has managed to get MAP, he predicted Montenegro will get EU candidate status in 2010. The Secretary responded that there are challenges ahead such as fighting organized crime and corruption and creating a rule of law environment that attracts foreign investors. This is all part of the NATO-EU integration processes. She assured the Prime Minister that the U.S. will work with Montenegro to help it reach full membership in NATO-EU. -------------- - --- STATE 00008900 002 OF 003 SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's January 20, 2010 Meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanov Montenegro Committed to Regional Stability/Bosnia -------------- - --- ¶6. (C/NF) Djukanovic expressed his concern about stability in the region and offered his views on Bosnia. He had reached out to Bosnian Serb leader Dodik to encourage him to be constructive on constitutional reform. He noted that the only cure for Bosnia and the region is integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. He expressed regret Bosnia was not invited into MAP in December and said that it is vital that the U.S. encourage the EU partners to keep the NATO-EU doors open for the Balkan countries. ¶7. (C/NF) Djukanovic also noted that despite the outcome of the Butmir process, the effort sent a strong signal to the region about the U.S. interest in the Balkans. He predicted that further outside efforts in Bosnia will have no effect until after the October elections, and he urged that partners like Russia and Turkey be included to avoid any secret deals. Achieving a minimal level of functioning of the Bosnian central government is crucial, he said, for Bosnia's stability and its path to NATO and the EU. For Butmir to work, he added, it is imperative that we remain united and educate the Bosnian people on the benefits of constitutional reform. The Secretary thanked Djukanovic for reaching out to Dodik to encourage him to reconsider his path and stressed that the U.S. wants to work closely with Montenegro in order to get the support needed to move forward on constitutional reform. Djukanovic once more expressed his commitment to remain actively engaged. -------------- - -------------- Montenegro Committed to Global Peace and Stability/ISAF -------------- - -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) The Secretary thanked Djukanovic for his commitment to send Montenegrin troops to Afghanistan with ISAF in March. Djukanovic noted that while this was Montenegro's first infantry platoon deployment with ISAF, Montenegro is a regular contributor to peace keeping operations in Cyprus and Somalia. He also offered to consider assistance on Haiti. -------------- Kosovo -------------- ¶9. (C/NF) The Secretary praised Montenegro's decision to recognize Kosovo and establish diplomatic relations on January 15 despite vocal opposition from the large Serb minority in Montenegro. She said that Montenegro's steps were significant to the U.S. and important for the region. Djukanovic said that despite protests from Belgrade, Montenegro took these steps in its national interest and to promote regional stability. -------------- Rule of Law and Economic Reform/Assistance -------------- ¶10. (C/NF) The Secretary commended the PM's efforts in fighting corruption. She urged the PM to establish an interagency task force to fight organized crime and corruption and stressed that as Montenegro prepares to fulfill NATO-EU entry requirements, its actions in improving transparency and the rule of law will be monitored closely. Djukanovic thanked the Secretary for her suggestion and STATE 00008900 003 OF 003 SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's January 20, 2010 Meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanov agreed that more challenges lie ahead. He promised that he would do everything needed to fulfill the remaining obligations. The reforms, he noted, will also improve Montenegro's economic comparative advantage and attract more investors. The Secretary agreed and recognized the efforts of the Montenegrin Embassy in Washington, the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro, and U.S. - Montenegro Business Council in working to create a level playing field. She also announced to the PM an increase in USG assistance to Montenegro in 2010 from USD 9 million to USD 10 million and noted that some of this assistance will be used for programs designed to help the Montenegrin government create a better rule- of-law environment. -------------- Visit to Montenegro -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Djukanovic extended an invitation to the Secretary to visit Montenegro during future trips to Europe. The Secretary responded that she was delighted to receive the invitation and would look for an opportunity. The Secretary and Djukanovic announced a possible visit in a statement to the press immediately following the meeting. CLINTON