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Viewing cable 06EFTOSKOPJE206, MACEDONIA: SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF US NATO

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06EFTOSKOPJE206 2006-03-02 15:47 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Skopje
VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSQ #0206/01 0611547
ZNY EEEEE ZZH (CCY AD9C9236 MSI2759-659)
O 021547Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 3583
INFO RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA IMMEDIATE 3350
RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB IMMEDIATE 2221
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4324
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS E F T O SKOPJE 000206 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE NOFORN SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY DELETING CLASSIFIED BY STATEMENT 
 
USMISSION USNATO FOR AMB NULAND FROM AMBASSADOR MILOVANOVIC 
STATE FOR EUR/RPM PDAS VOLKER AND EUR/SCE 
DEFENSE FOR ISP-NATO POLICY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF US NATO 
DELEGATION 
 
REF: STATE 32850 
 
ATMOSPHERICS: THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN THICKET 
 
1. (SBU) Your visit comes as the government and opposition 
are gearing up for this summer's parliamentary election, the 
actual date of which has yet to be determined.  Amid the 
clamor of mutual recrimination and mudslinging of the 
"pre-campaign," which already is underway, your visit is an 
excellent opportunity to remind all parties of the importance 
of free and fair elections to Macedonia's NATO membership 
prospects.  It also is a good opportunity to press the 
government and opposition to stay focused on ensuring that 
work continues on key NATO-related reforms, despite the 
inevitable distractions of the political campaign and 
regardless of which parties emerge to lead the next 
government after the elections. 
 
A SECURE AND STABLE COUNTRY IN NATO 
 
2. (SBU) PM Buckovski understands that NATO members want 
stable, secure contributing members in the Alliance.  To that 
end, he may emphasize the transition the government has made 
from its early focus on security and stability, to a stronger 
focus on the economy.  Macedonia has made good progress on 
defense reforms, contributes to alliance operations in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, and has helped lower inter-ethnic 
tensions through implementation of many of the reforms 
required by the 2001 Framework Agreement.  Buckovski recently 
tapped Macedonia's Ambassador to the U.S. as the 
newly-created National Coordinator for NATO Integration, 
reporting to the Prime Minister, to begin when his tenure in 
Washington ends this month.  Despite good progress on meeting 
MAP-related requirements, the government must address a 
number of key MAP-related reform areas. 
 
ELECTIONS -- KEY TEST OF MACEDONIA'S DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS 
 
3. (SBU) PM Buckovski will tell you that the government is 
fully committed to "zero tolerance for electoral fraud" and 
may note that the State Electoral Commission, which 
administers the overall election process, is now fully funded 
and operational.  In addition, the GOM has worked since last 
year with OSCE experts to draft an electoral code that 
addresses electoral system concerns raised by the 
International Community following serious irregularities in 
previous elections.  The electoral code is in the 
parliamentary review process, and the parliament is expected 
to pass it by mid-March. 
 
4. (SBU) Although OSCE found the government draft electoral 
code acceptable, the main opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, 
objects to the government's proposal to staff with civil 
servants the local election boards that administer the 
elections.  The party argues that the politicized nature of 
the civil service guarantees a heightened potential for 
fraud.  The government is working on a compromise solution 
that would allow party representatives to serve on the boards 
in addition to the civil servants. 
 
5. (U) President Crvenkovski kicked off on March 2 an 
initiative to intensify outreach to the media, civil society, 
religious communities, and political parties to highlight the 
need for free and fair elections. I participated in a 
two-hour session during which the President, the OSCE and 
EUSR representatives, and I gave the media our views about 
their role in the elections.  We underscored our hope that 
they would work to create a positive, constructive atmosphere 
for political debate as campaigning gets underway, and would 
highlight the critical importance of a free and fair process 
for the country's NATO and EU membership prospects. 
 
INDEPENDENT AND EFFICIENT JUDICIARY 
 
6. (SBU) The parliament in December 2005 passed a package of 
11 constitutional amendments strengthening the independence 
and efficiency of the judiciary, which currently is one of 
 
the least-trusted of all Macedonian government institutions. 
The amendments curtail the role of parliament in selecting 
judges, who will now be selected and dismissed by an 
independent State Judicial Council.  The parliament is 
expected to pass bylaws to implement the amendments by June 
2006, although the process could be delayed if the parties 
involved cannot agree on the language for the bylaws. 
 
CORRUPTION CONUNDRUM 
 
7. (SBU/NF) Macedonia was ranked 104 of 159 countries in the 
2005 Transparency International annual corruption perception 
index (CPI) report.  It dropped several places compared to 
2004, although its overall score remained the same, at 2.7 
out of a possible 10 (10 being least corrupt).  Combating 
corruption is one of the government,s toughest challenges. 
Very few high-profile corruption cases have been successfully 
prosecuted, with even fewer cases involving a significant 
sentence as a sanction.  PM Buckovski might mention during 
your meeting that he is ready to create a National 
Coordinator for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, an 
idea I urged him to consider several weeks ago, given the 
general lack of cooperation and coordination between police, 
prosecutors, and judges on corruption cases. 
 
8. (SBU/NF) The government recognizes it must do more on the 
corruption front to meet NATO and EU standards.  According to 
government data, in 2005 a total of only 37 persons were 
convicted on corruption-related charges, 24 for abuse of 
their official positions.  According to some government 
sources, the lack of an effective wiretapping law thwarts 
more effective prosecution of corruption cases.  In fact, 
there is a lack of political will -- in the government and 
the judiciary -- to tackle this problem effectively. 
 
POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY, TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
 
9. (SBU/NF) General rule of law weaknesses hamper 
Macedonia,s ability to combat corruption, organized crime, 
and trafficking in persons (TIP).  The Ministry of 
Interior,s Professional Standards Unit (PSU) has 
investigated a number of allegations of police abuse, and has 
sanctioned such abuse when it occurred.  However, the PSU,s 
record is inconsistent, and systems to ensure transparency in 
the MOI are inadequate.  Similarly, Macedonia,s fall from 
Tier 1 to Tier 2 in the State Department,s annual 
Trafficking in Persons report for 2005 reflected lack of 
political commitment to combat aggressively lucrative 
organized crime activities, as reflected in the GOM,s 
continuing lack of a National Action Plan for combating TIP. 
We have pressed the government to adopt an anti-TIP National 
Action Plan by the time you arrive; government contacts tell 
us it is possible that will happen by then. 
 
ECONOMY -- AIMING FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH 
 
10. (U) The government,s most significant economic 
achievement has been maintining macroeconomic stability and 
fiscal discipline.  The economy has grown at a consistent 
rate of 2 to 4 percent from 2002 to 2005.  The government 
budget deficit is low (-0.6% in 2005), inflation minimal 
(0.5% in 2005), the currency is stable, and the level of 
debt-to-GDP (40%) is manageable.  Despite some marked 
progress, however, both domestic and foreign business 
investment is low, and GDP growth rate is not strong enough 
to lower unemployment or the poverty rate significantly. 
Macedonia ranks 57th in the Heritage Foundation,s 2005 Index 
of Economic Freedom, closely behind A-3 partners Albania 
(52nd) and Croatia (55th). 
 
11. (U) The government has made significant economic reform 
progress in a number of areas, including recent 
implementation of a "one-stop shop" window that has reduced 
the time required for registering a new business.  However, 
more needs to be done to create an economic climate that will 
attract increased investment and bring official unemployment 
figures down from over 30 percent.  Essential remaining steps 
include enforcing property and contract rights, and 
completing privatization of the state-owned electricity 
 
monopoly to bolster investor confidence in the country. 
 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM -- INTRA-CHURCH CLASH 
 
12. (SBU) The dispute between the Serbian Orthodox Church 
(SOC) and the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) over which 
should enjoy primacy among orthodox Christian believers in 
Macedonia remains a challenge for the government. A 
government commission is working on a draft law that would 
make it possible for the SOC to register officially as a 
religious group in Macedonia. 
 
13. (SBU) The imprisonment last year of Jovan Vraniskovski, a 
former MOC priest now recognized by the SOC as Bishop Jovan, 
"for inciting religious hatred" was criticized by the 
international community and many human rights NGOs.  In a 
decision announced this week, the Supreme Court reduced 
Vraniskovski's sentence; we understand he might be released 
as early as March 8.  Even if released, however, Jovan is 
likely to return to prison unless an appeals court reverses 
his September 2005 conviction for embezzlement. 
 
NEED FOR CRISIS MANAGEMENT CAPACITY 
 
14. (SBU) To get the MOD out of direct involvement in 
managing crisis management operations, the government created 
the civilian-run Crisis Management Center (CMC) in 2005.  The 
CMC received an independent budget in January 2006, but 
squabbles between the ethnic Albanian CMC Director and the 
government over equitable representation in staffing the 
center have prevented it from becoming fully operational.  In 
a region plagued by frequent floods and occasional 
earthquakes, the country,s lack of effective crisis 
management capacity is unacceptable. 
 
CONSOLIDATING RULE OF LAW 
 
15. (SBU) Ethnically mixed police patrols have access to all 
communities in the country, including former "police no-go 
zones."  The police often get political buy-in for police 
operations before undertaking them in ethnic Albanian 
villages, especially when the operations involve small-scale 
or petty crime, or criminal figures with no known political 
ties.  This pragmatic approach normally minimizes the need to 
launch potentially violent operations that could spark 
inter-ethnic violence. 
 
STRONG PUBLIC SUPPORT 
 
16. Public support for NATO is strong at 90 percent.  There 
is across-the-board support for NATO membership among the 
ethnicities and the parties -- government and opposition. 
Most of the major parties include a plank on NATO membership 
in their platforms.  The biggest challenge for the government 
will be managing public expectations regarding the Riga 
Summit. PM Buckovski recently was in Tirana for a meeting of 
A-3 Prime Ministers, who reportedly agreed to push for a Riga 
statement that would commit to enlargement in 2008.  One 
report from Tirana quoted Buckovski as saying "our motto will 
be: NATO membership no later than 2008."  Our refrain should 
be: "focus on the work, not the dates." 
 
TRAINING FOR NATO 
 
17. The two largest NATO contributors of military assistance 
to Macedonia are the United States and Turkey.  Other NATO 
countries give less assistance, mainly military education 
programs.  The USG provides military education training for 
officer and NCO professional development (IMET), 
English-language training, and bi-lateral training and 
personnel exchange programs with the Vermont National Guard. 
FMF funds the equipment and training necessary to support the 
11 units Macedonia has declared for NATO operations. 
 
18. Turkey provides well over a million dollars a year in 
military equipment and training, focused mainly on equipping 
Macedonia's logistical units and maintenance centers (with 
vehicles and specialty equipment).  Turkey also runs commando 
training courses for the Special Force Unit.  The Netherlands 
 
provides assistance in developing the Ministry of Defense's 
IT systems, and has sold the ARM surplus military vehicles 
and equipment at discounted prices.  The United Kingdom works 
closely with the MOD on English language training (which 
complements ours) and on personnel management.  Norway has 
been the principal consultant to the MOD on options for 
reforming the Military Hospital, while Germany and France 
offer officers and NCOs opportunities for attending combat 
arms courses and senior service schools. 
MILOVANOVIC