This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BELGRADE 000232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SR MW YI
SUBJECT: Ensuring Stability in Southern Serbia 
 
REF: 05 Belgrade 2321 
 
Summary 
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¶1.  We are working to ensure that local political 
developments in the three Southern Serbia municipalities 
with ethnic Albanian populations (Presevo, Bujanovac, and 
Medvedja) do not undermine progress that has been made in 
stabilizing this sensitive area bordering Kosovo.  Our 
strategy for the coming months includes both positive 
incentives and clear warnings for a newly ascendant group 
of local ethnic Albanian leaders, who have threatened to 
stress nationalist pan-Albanian themes (e.g., Southern 
Serbia as Eastern Kosovo) in the coming months.  In 
addition to keeping local leaders on the right script and 
managing our substantial assistance funds, we will continue 
to press Belgrade to fund and otherwise support a renewed 
effort by the Minister of Human and Minority Rights to 
reinvigorate the government's Coordinating Body for 
Southern Serbia (CB) and to address the region's persistent 
political and economic problems.  End Summary 
 
Local Politics in South Serbia Heat Up 
 
¶2.  A successful recall election of the long-time Mayor of 
Presevo in November 2005 removed Riza Halimi, a consistent 
supporter of cooperation with Belgrade through the CB and 
one of our closest collaborators since 2001 (reftels).  As 
a consequence the firebrand head of the Presevo Assembly 
Ragmi Mustafa, took over as interim Mayor until local 
elections scheduled for July (special elections for 
Southern Serbia alone were held in 2002).  Mustafa and 
another local leader in his coalition, Jonas Musliu, have 
in the past challenged the legitimacy of the Coordinating 
Body and called for more autonomy and for a special 
relationship with Kosovo.  Mustafa and Musliu, strengthened 
by the results of the recall, led a successful drive early 
this year to adopt a Southern Serbian "Albanian Platform" 
for the Kosovo status talks. 
 
Southern Serbia Platform on Kosovo 
 
¶3.  The platform, issued on January 14 and signed by 61 of 
the 66 Albanian representatives in the three local 
assemblies, steps over, in part, our well publicized red 
lines (no territorial links between Kosovo and Southern 
Serbia) by calling for more autonomy along the lines of the 
Serbian government's position on Kosovo and by advocating 
union with Kosovo in the event of its partition.  The 
document (full text at para 9) notes the incomplete nature 
of political mechanisms in Southern Serbia and refers to a 
well publicized referendum in 1992 that called for the 
secession of Southern Serbia and its unification with 
Kosovo.  On 2/13, Mustafa went arguably even farther, 
stating publicly:  "If Kosovo is independent, then we 
shall, in keeping with the adopted platform, demand that we 
become part of that country," Mustafa said. 
 
Warning on US Red Lines 
 
¶4.  Polcouns met privately with Mustafa and Musliu shortly 
after the adoption of the platform to warn them against 
crossing our red lines on Kosovo.  Mustafa reassured us 
that he would cooperate with the Coordinating Body, and 
that he would limit his rhetoric on Kosovo during the 
campaign for local elections in Southern Serbia.  He said 
he understood fully the distinction between being an 
opposition leader and being head of the local Presevo 
government; he would not be shortsighted enough to endanger 
badly needed funds from the Serbian government and looked 
forward to participating in the inauguration of our local 
assistance projects.  Musliu sheepishly told us he had only 
pushed the platform to help his "brothers" in Kosovo, not 
to complicate things in Southern Serbia.  Our bottom line 
message: words matter and we will take a firm stand against 
irresponsible campaigning focused on Kosovo instead of on 
real problems within Serbia. 
 
Working with Ljajic 
 
¶5. Over the next several months we will work closely with 
the head of the Coordinating Body and Minister for Human 
and Minority Rights Rasim Ljajic, the OSCE, and with the 
Austrian EU Presidency to encourage the government and 
local leaders to avoid controversy and sensationalism and 
to focus on practical efforts to resolve long standing 
problems.  Ljajic has already moved quickly this year to 
jump start the moribund CB in Southern Serbia but so far 
mostly with words; concrete deliverables are still lagging. 
Following noticeable press coverage in the Serbian media of 
Mustafa and Musliu's "consultations" with Kosovo leaders on 
the platform (and negative responses from Belgrade), Ljajic 
took pains to play down the controversy surrounding the 
political platform (he told us he is not worried about 
Mustafa and Musliu).  While he did qualify much of the 
content of the platform as "unacceptable" in private 
meetings first with us, the EU Presidency and the OSCE (we 
have assembled an informal monitoring and support group for 
Southern Serbia), and days later with most of the European 
Diplomatic community, he did not dwell on the issue. 
Instead, he focused on his engagement plans for the coming 
year (e.g., the creation of new CB working groups and the 
establishment of a new GOS Southern-Serbia/Kosovo economic 
team) and introduced new senior staff, including 
representatives from the DS and the DSS who will help 
implement the program. 
 
¶6.  According to Ljajic, almost one-third of the funds set 
aside for the Coordinating Body last year were reprogrammed 
after the Finance Ministry failed to spend the money by the 
end of the year.  Ljajic says this was deliberate on the 
part of the GoS, as there has been a long list of unfunded 
requests pending with the Ministry for some time.  He 
believes that the several million dollars the Ministry made 
available at the end of the year for Southern Serbia were 
the result of pressure from the U.S. (Ambassador raised it 
with PM Kostunica and DPM Labus in October and November) 
and has asked us to help early and at a high level to avoid 
any similar loss of funding this year.  Ljajic appears to 
have been the organizing force behind a mid-January meeting 
between PM Kostunica and the three Southern Serbian mayors 
(including Mustafa) and, encouragingly, has also noted the 
need to reassure the local Serbian community in the three 
municipalities about the platform and their concerns. 
 
Way Ahead 
 
¶7.  While we will work with Ljajic, we have discouraged him 
on one front: an idea he floated for a "low level" donor's 
conference for Southern Serbia.  He seems to have taken our 
concerns (bad timing given Kosovo and other international 
crises) on board; he downplayed the idea in his larger 
meeting with European representatives.  Our assistance 
program for 2006 will focus on three fronts: finishing a 
crucial secondary road from Bujanovac to the Macedonian 
border that will help as a platform for a wider range of 
business development initiatives; a series of smaller and 
carefully designed projects to reinforce progress in the 
CB; and some political support work aimed at deepening 
democratic capacity and encouraging pre-electoral coalition 
building among constructive local parties (Serb and 
Albanian). 
 
¶8. With municipal elections due in June 2006 for Presevo, 
Bujanovac and Medvedja, we can expect that the Kosovo 
status discussions, particularly decentralization, will 
continue to be a theme in local politics.  We will continue 
to prod the GOS to continue support to multi-ethnic 
institutions, as we remind the local Albanian community 
that their future is in a stable and secure Serbia. 
 
¶9. BEGIN TEXT OF PLATFORM 
ALBANIAN COUNCILLORS OF PRESHEVA VALLEY (PRESHEVO, 
BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA) IN MEETING HELD 
ON 14 JANUARY 2006 IN PRESHEVO 
 
 
Being aware that the Albanian population of Preshevo, 
Bujanovac and Medvedja ( the Presheva Valley) is facing 
with the issue of its unresolved political status, 
 
Committing to protection and development of Albanian 
national identity, 
 
Committing to forms of all Albanian integration, as a part 
of trends for European and Euro-Atlantic integrations, 
 
Taking into consideration that forms of territorial 
organization have not offered so far adequate possibilities 
for protection of interests of Albanians of the Presheva 
Valley, 
 
Committing to unification and concentration of political 
power in resolving these issues, 
 
Based on political activities up to nowadays and armed 
resistance of Albanians from this region, 
 
Finding support for their requests in international 
documents (UN, OSCE, CE), that guarantee human and minority 
rights, 
 
APPROVED THIS: 
POLITICAL PLATFORM 
 
¶I. PRINCIPLES: 
 
At the time when Kosovo has entered the most important 
phase for determination of its political-legal status and 
when the entire region of the Western Balkans aims for 
acceleration of process of Euro-Atlantic integrations, the 
Albanian political entities in Presheva Valley see a need 
for undertaking concrete and coordinated actions for 
resolution of the Albanian issue in this region in spirit 
with integration processes that are taking place in Europe, 
 
Albanian councilors from Preshevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac, 
(hereinafter referred to as councillors), consider that as 
long as there is no right solution of the issue of 
Albanians from the Valley, the region will continue to 
remain a permanent hotspot and an obstacle to Euro-Atlantic 
integrations, 
Councillors request that the rights of Albanians of the 
Valley are guaranteed as a part of installing mechanisms of 
joint values for communities that make the absolute 
majority in certain parts of the region (Western Balkans), 
by committing to creating special links of the Presheva 
Valley with Kosovo, 
 
In the spirit of these values by finding support in 
fundamental documents, which institutionalize protection of 
individual and collective rights, such as: 
 
- UN Charter, 
- Universal Declaration for Human Rights 
- International Treaty for civil and political rights, 
- International Treaty for economic, social and cultural 
rights 
- European frame convention for minority rights, 
- European convention for human rights and basic freedoms 
- European charter for regional and minority languages, 
- OSCE documents, such as: 
         - Suggestions from Lund, Oslo and Hague, 
         - Final Helsinki Act 1975 
         - Paris Charter for New Europe 1990 
         - Documents from Copenhagen  human dimension, 
 
 
II SPECIAL REQUESTS: 
 
A just and sustainable solution of the issue of Presheva 
Valley means full respect for individual and collective 
rights of Albanians through a right solution of following 
issues: 
 
Councillors consider that the Presheva Valley should have a 
form of administrative-territorial organisation with 
functions in field of judiciary, police, education, use of 
language and national symbols, health, economic and 
cultural development, local planning, environment, natural 
resources, housing issues, social services, 
 
Decentralisation of power and transfer of competencies from 
central level to local and regional self-administration 
should take place as well as decentralisation of other 
institutions, especially of judiciary, should happen, by 
establishing: 
 
District Court, Commercial Court, Minor Offences Council 
with territorial competencies for this region, 
 
Full demilitarisation of the Presheva Valley and withdrawal 
of current bases and those that are under construction 
should take place, 
 
Public security issues should be in exclusive competencies 
of multiethnic police and its commanding structures, 
 
Economic development of the region through creation of 
favourable conditions for giving loans to small and medium 
enterprises, attraction of the foreign capital, 
establishment of business centres, creation of a Free Trade 
Zone and cross-border cooperation in projects with 
international donors, 
 
Privatisation of the current social enterprises should take 
place by creating equal conditions for participation, 
 
Education system in the Presheva Valley should be 
harmonised with the education system in Kosovo in 
conformity with European standards for education, 
 
Proportional integration of Albanians in local structures 
of power and in all state and public institutions of all 
levels, 
 
Official applying of Albanian language and alphabet in 
institutions of local self-administration, state and public 
institutions of all levels, 
 
Official and public use of national symbols of Albanians as 
well as the right for public celebration of important dates 
from national history, 
 
Establishment of institutions for expression, preservation 
and advancing of cultural, informative, religious and 
traditional values specific for Albanians, 
 
Creation of special institutions for social protection of 
the endangered group of population, 
 
Development of current health institutions for primary 
health protection of population and creation of 
possibilities for secondary health protection of population 
of the Presheva Valley by building up an hospital for these 
municipalities, 
 
Sustainable return of displaced population by reimbursing 
damages in their properties and development of road, health 
and education infrastructure, 
 
Full respect of Law on Amnesty (Official Gazette of FRY Nr 
37/2002 on 03.07.2002) for former members of UPMB and 
cessation of all court procedures set up against Albanians 
as well as release of political prisoners, 
 
Intimidation campaign by sending summons for military 
service should stop, 
 
Light should be shed on cases of murder of civilians in the 
period 1999-2001 that have happened in this region, 
 
Adequate treatment of the Albanian Diaspora from this 
region by domestic institutions through protection of links 
of Diaspora with their birthplace, life, customs, language 
and culture as well as encouragement for investment of 
their capital in the region, 
 
For the realisation of above-mentioned goals, Albanian 
political parties underline the need for creation of a 
joint representation body (National Council) as soon as 
possible. 
 
 
III FINAL PROVISIONS 
 
By reconfirming the will of the population expressed in 
Referendum in 1992 for definition of the Presheva Valley as 
a special political, territorial-constitutional region, 
councillors, in support of the Principles of Contact Group 
related to Kosovo's status, are obliged to commit to 
unification of the Presheva Valley with Kosovo in case of 
lack of respect for these principles and possible change of 
Kosovo's borders. 
 
 
FROM THE WORKING GROUP 
 
END TEXT 
 
MOORE