VZCZCXRO1570
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #0255 0751740
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 161740Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4411
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 4018
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SKOPJE 000255 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV AL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: STRONG BUT MEASURED REACTION TO 
ALBANIAN FM MUSTAFAJ STATEMENT ON BORDERS 
 
REF: TIRANA 276 
 
Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4(B) & (D). 
 
¶1. (U) Macedonian government reaction to Albanian FM 
Mustafaj's March 13 statement on Albanian Alsat TV that 
Albania could not guarantee inviolability of borders with 
Kosovo or Macedonia "if division of Kosovo takes place" 
(reftel) has been strong but measured.  MFA State Counselor 
Milan Spiridonovski told us the Ministry is "concerned" about 
the statement, and said that FM Mitreva discussed the matter 
by telephone with FM Mustafaj on March 15. 
 
¶2. (C) The Prime Minister's National Security Adviser, Aleks 
Matovski, told us March 16 that the government considered the 
statement "unfortunate and ill-advised," considering the good 
bilateral cooperation the countries have enjoyed over the 
past several years.  Matovski said he hoped the statement had 
been made intentionally, and that the Albanian government 
would issue a public clarification.  The GOM would not 
overreact to the statement, he said, and the incident would 
not cause lasting damage to bilateral relations. 
 
¶3. (U) The local press quoted MFA sources as saying that 
Mustafaj told Mitreva during their March 15 phone 
conversation that his statement had been misinterpreted and 
taken out of context.  PM Buckovski reportedly also told the 
media that Mustafaj's comment had been taken out of context. 
Ethnic Albanian DUI (governing coalition junior partner) and 
DPA (opposition) told us they had no comment on Mustafaj's 
statement.  Opposition VMRO-DPMNE said the statement was 
ill-considered and undermined "international legal principles 
regarding the non-changeability of state borders." 
 
¶4. (C) Comment: We appreciate Ambassador Ries's approach to 
Mustafaj on this issue (reftel), and fully support her 
message that such statements are ill-placed in the context of 
the final status process.  Such statements also feed ethnic 
Macedonian suspicions that their ethnic Albanian compatriots 
harbor the notion of an eventual union with Albania and 
Kosovo.  We believe a public restatement by the Contact Group 
of its guiding principles regarding "no changes in borders, 
and no partition of Kosovo or union with another country or 
part of a country" could help calm the waters here and 
reassure Macedonians that the international community stands 
firmly behind the country's territorial integrity. 
MILOVANOVIC