VZCZCXRO8951
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0294/01 1080938
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180938Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5959
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3671

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000294 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE (PFEUFFER) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MK PGOV PINR PREL
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: STAFFDEL KILLION'S MEETINGS WITH 
GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Staffdel Killion met with senior Macedonian 
government (GOM) officials and with representatives of the 
two major eAlbanian parties (opposition DUI and governing 
DPA) during a visit to Skopje April 4.  Both government and 
opposition interlocutors expressed support for the Ahtisaari 
plan on Kosovo status as the best -- and only -- guarantee of 
peace and stability in the region.  The DUI and DPA 
representatives presented the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement 
(FWA) as a good model for Kosovo, but disagreed on the extent 
to which it actually has been implemented in Macedonia.  FM 
Milososki commented on Serbia's inclusion in the Partnership 
for Peace (PfP) initiative as a positive incentive for 
constructive behavior from Belgrade, and suggested the EU 
should look for ways to match that incentive in its relations 
with Serbia.  Milososki cited as GOM NATO-related priorities 
the need to intensify efforts to combat 
trafficking-in-persons (TIP), and to overcome traditional 
religious groups' opposition to a more liberal religious law 
for Macedonia.  Both eAlbanian parties agreed that continued 
political dialogue between the GOM and the opposition was 
important, and restated their parties' commitment to a 
unitary, multiethnic Macedonia integrated into NATO. End 
summary. 
 
 
STAFFDEL's Skopje Visit 
----------------------- 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Staffdel Killion, comprised of David Killion, Senior 
Professional Staff Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs 
(HFAC); Douglas Anderson, Minority Professional Staff, HFAC; 
Jennifer Simon, Professional Staff, Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee; and Tomicah Tillemann, Professional Staff, Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee, visited Skopje April 4 to meet 
with high-level government and opposition figures.  The 
Ambassador attended the Staffdel's meeting with FM Milososki. 
 During their meetings the Staffdel delivered the following 
points: 
 
-- the Ahtisaari plan provides the only path forward in terms 
of resolving Kosovo's future status; 
-- the USG supports Macedonia's NATO aspirations, appreciates 
its support for the Global War on Terror, and expects the 
country to meet NATO standards in order to qualify for a 
membership invitation at the next enlargement summit; 
-- it is essential for the government to sustain the ongoing 
political dialogue with the DUI party to demonstrate 
Macedonia's political maturity and readiness to join NATO; and 
-- the U.S. Congress sees as key NATO-related priorities the 
fight against TIP and corruption. 
 
 
Kosovo: GOM Support for Ahtisaari and a Stronger EU Role 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) FM Milososki re-affirmed his country's support for 
the Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo status and referred to 
Macedonia as a good example of multiethnic tolerance in the 
region.  Proud of Macedonia's contributions to regional and 
global security, Milososki said his country's vitality is due 
to the fact that its leadership has a future-oriented vision 
that does not dwell on past injustices.  Referring to the 
formerly contentious issue of border demarcation between 
Macedonia and Kosovo, Milososki said that resolution of the 
border issue could now serve as a test case for an 
independent Kosovo's respect for principles of international 
law.  He assured the Staffdel that landowners on both sides 
of the border would not lose their property or access to it 
after the final border demarcation, which is expected to take 
place not more than a year after the Ahtisaari plan goes into 
effect.  Asked about the most productive way to engage Serbia 
on the Kosovo issue, Milososki said that the PfP invitation 
to Serbia had been a positive step that provided an incentive 
for Belgrade's constructive behavior.  It was time, he said, 
for the EU to take a similar, more constructive approach to 
engaging Belgrade.  Milososki argued that Belgrade should be 
given a clear signal that "counting on a Plan B for Kosovo 
status would be disastrous for Serbia," especially if such a 
plan hinted at partition as an outcome. 
 
 
TIP and Religious Freedom: High Level GOM Engagement 
 
SKOPJE 00000294  002 OF 002 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) FM Milososki said the government has made combating 
TIP a high-level political priority.  National NATO 
Coordinator Ambassador Dimitrov elaborated further, 
describing in detail recent GOM initiatives on TIP.  He 
highlighted the Ministry of Justice's work on legislative 
amendments that will criminalize all TIP-related acts 
involving minors, and outlined GOM efforts underway to devise 
a unified definition of a TIP victim.  He acknowledged that, 
despite some progress, there were still judicial delays and 
inefficiencies that hampered progress in fighting TIP and 
vowed to continue work to reduce them. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Milososki told the Staffdel that there currently are 
formidable obstacles to passing a new, more liberal Law on 
Religious Communities in Macedonia.  He noted intense 
lobbying against the current draft law by the Macedonian 
Orthodox Church (MOC) and the Islamic Community (IC), which 
he thought were trying to derail the process to prevent other 
religious groups from legally registering in Macedonia.  He 
said that, despite some anticipated obstacles, the GOM would 
try to convince a majority of MPs to support a more liberal 
Law on Religion to fulfill NATO accession commitments. 
 
 
FWA: Good Model for Kosovo; Problematic Implementation at 
Home 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) In separate meetings, ranking ethnic Albanian party 
officials Teuta Arifi of DUI (opposition) and Besim Dogani of 
DPA (governing coalition) agreed that the 2001 FWA was a 
positive example for Kosovo.  Dogani said the FWA represented 
an effective compromise agreement between ethnic Macedonians 
and Albanians.  In his view, however, the FWA had not been 
fully implemented during the tenure of the previous 
government, which had included DUI as a coalition partner, 
due to the incompetence of DUI officials.  Highlighting the 
constructive partnership between DPA and the ruling 
eMacedonian VMRO-DPMNE, Dogani elaborated on initiatives the 
GOM has undertaken recently to promote FWA implementation. 
 
 
Political Dialogue: Unified Support, but Different Timeframes 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) On the issue of continued political dialogue, DPA's 
Dogani said that DUI should return to Parliament from its 
current boycott, and should use its time in opposition to 
build and strengthen its grassroots networks.  DUI's Arifi 
said that DUI's actions, including the boycott it began in 
January 2007 to protest what it claimed were government 
attempts to stall FWA implementation, were a result of 
pressures from the party's base.  Asked about the impact of 
DUI's boycott at such a critical juncture for the country, 
Arifi pledged DUI's responsible engagement and commitment to 
Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic future.  She noted, however, that 
DUI believed it would be able to achieve the bulk of its 
demands by June, after which the situation would revert to 
normalcy. 
 
 
COMMENT 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Staffdel's discussions with both high-level GOM 
officials and opposition leaders showed there is political 
and inter-ethnic consensus in Macedonia on supporting a 
Kosovo status process that leads to speedy independence in 
the interests of regional stability.  Despite the rhetorical 
broadsides DPA and DUI lobbed at each other, it was clear 
that both eAlbanian parties see their future in a unitary, 
multi-ethnic Macedonia, with no room in the country or region 
for notions of a greater Albania.  End comment. 
 
¶9. This cable was cleared by Staffdel Killion. 
MILOVANOVIC