VZCZCXRO4008
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHVI #1501/01 1431049
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231049Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3597
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0124

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 001501 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU
SUBJECT: KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: MAY 22 UPDATE 
 
REF: USNATO 000328 
 
VIENNA 00001501  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE HANDLE 
ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (U) THIS CABLE IS AN UPDATE FROM THE U.S. LIAISON 
OFFICER IN THE OFFICE OF THE UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR KOSOVO 
STATUS (UNOSEK). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR KOSOVO STATUS MARTTI 
AHTISAARI SPENT MOST OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS TRAVELING TO 
EUROPEAN CAPITALS AND WASHINGTON, AND IN MEETINGS WITH 
NATO AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE (COE) ON KOSOVO STATUS. 
DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY ALBERT ROHAN AND A UNOSEK DELEGATION 
DISCUSSED DECENTRALIZATION IN VISITS TO BELGRADE AND 
PRISTINA, DURING WHICH BELGRADE CLARIFIED ITS POSITION 
AND SAID IT COULD ACCEPT A PRISTINA-CENTRAL GOVERNMENT 
ROLE IN THE COMPETENCIES BELGRADE IDENTIFED AS "FULL 
AUTONOMY" AREAS.  PRISTINA AUTHORITIES WERE RELUCTANT TO 
MOVE BEYOND THEIR ALREADY TABLED PROPOSALS.  BOTH SIDES 
AGREED TO FURTHER EXPERT-LEVEL TALKS AND TO PROVIDE 
ADDITIONAL INPUT.  BOTH SIDES HAVE ANNOUNCED THEIR 
DELEGATIONS FOR THE MAY 23 NEGOTIATION SESSION ON 
PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
AHTISAARI TRAVELS 
----------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) LAST WEEK, AHTISAARI VISITED SLOVENIA, 
NATO/BRUSSELS, STRASBOURG FOR A "FIRESIDE CHAT" WITH 
COUNCIL OF EUROPE FOREIGN MINISTERS, AND PRAGUE.  THE 
PREVIOUS WEEK HE WAS IN WASHINGTON AND IN NEW YORK.  IN 
SLOVENIA AND PRAGUE, HE REITERATED HIS EXPECTATIONS THAT 
THE STATUS PROCESS WOULD RESULT IN AN INDEPENDENT KOSOVO 
AND ASKED PRAGUE AND LJUBLJANA TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE 
PROCESS AND HELP BELGRADE COME TO TERMS WITH REALITIES. 
HE MADE CLEAR AT NATO THAT NATO HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO 
PLAY DURING AND POST-STATUS, AND SUGGESTED NATO PLANNING 
INCLUDE THINKING ABOUT AN INDEPENDENT KOSOVO AND THE ROLE 
NATO MIGHT PLAY IN DEVELOPING A SECURITY/DEFENSE FORCE 
(REFTEL). 
 
ROHAN TRAVELS 
------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) ALBERT ROHAN AND A UNOSEK DELEGATION VISITED 
PRISTINA AND BELGRADE MAY 16-19 TO FOLLOW UP ON 
DECENTRALIZATION.  BELGRADE: 
 
--REITERATED IT IS NOT SEEKING A SEPARATE ENTITY OR 
DIVISION OF KOSOVO; 
--RECOGNIZED (FOR THE FIRST TIME EXPLICITLY WITH UNOSEK) 
THAT EVEN IN THE AREAS BELGRADE BELIEVES MUNICIPALITIES 
SHOULD HAVE "FULL AUTONOMY" THERE WILL BE A NEED FOR 
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS AND FRAMEWORK LEGISLATION AND 
THAT THE MUNICIPAL ROLE WILL BE TO IMPLEMENT; 
--AGREED TO USE THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S CHARTER ON LOCAL 
SELF GOVERNMENT FOR THE BASIS OF LANGUAGE RELATED TO 
INTER-MUNICIPAL COOPERATION. 
 
¶5. (SBU) BELGRADE DID INSIST ON ITS LENGTHY LIST OF 
MUNICIPALITIES, PLACING PARTICULAR FOCUS ON OSOJANE (A 
"RETURN" MUNICIPALITY WITH SCANT SERBIAN POPULATION 
CURRENTLY) AND VELIKA HOCA (A SMALL COMMUNITY OF ABOUT 
800-1000 SERBS AND WITH HISTORIC SERBIAN ORTHODOX 
CHURCHES).  BELGRADE ALSO INSISTED ON ITS PROPOSALS 
RELATED TO POLICE AND JUSTICE.  ROHAN MADE CLEAR THAT 
BELGRADE'S LANGUAGE/PROPOSALS RELATED TO ITS ASSISTANCE 
TO KOSOVO-SERB MUNICIPALITIES WENT TOO FAR, AND THAT MANY 
OF BELGRADE'S PROPOSED MUNICIPALITIES SIMPLY DID NOT MEET 
THE CRITERIA UNOSEK WAS FOLLOWING. 
 
PRISTINA 
-------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) THE UNITY TEAM AND NEGOTIATING TEAM WERE NOT 
PREPARED TO SHOW MUCH FLEXIBILITY ON INTERMUNICIPAL 
RELATIONS AND ON EXPANDING ITS PROPOSALS ON NEW 
MUNICIPALITIES.  ROHAN AND OTHERS MADE CLEAR THAT UNOSEK 
WOULD BE INSISTING ON INTERMUNICIPAL RELATIONS PROVISIONS 
BASED ON THE COE CHARTER ON LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT.  THE 
UNOSEK TEAM ALSO ASKED PRISTINA TO CONSIDER A MORE 
EXPANSIVE SET OF NEW MUNICIPALITIES THAN PRISTINA'S 
INITIAL PROPOSAL, TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL CADASTRAL ZONES 
IN GRACANICA, NOVO BRDO, AND RANILUG, AND NEW 
MUNICIPALITIES IN PARTES AND KLOKOT.  PRISTINA'S INITIAL 
 
VIENNA 00001501  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
REACTION WAS NOT POSITIVE, BUT THE KOSOVARS DID AGREE TO 
MEET WITH UNOSEK EXPERTS TO REVIEW THESE PROPOSALS. 
UNOSEK ALSO ASKED FOR GREATER CLARIFY OF PRISTINA'S "TWO 
MUNICIPALITIES/ONE CITY" CONCEPT FOR MITROVICA, WHICH 
PRISTINA HAS PROMISED TO PROVIDE. 
 
¶7. (SBU) ROHAN ALSO MET WITH SERB LIST FOR KOSOVO AND 
METOHIJA (SLKM) LEADER OLIVER IVANOVIC, WHO SHARED WITH 
UNOSEK SLKM THINKING ON NEW MUNICIPALITIES THAT WAS MUCH 
CLOSER TO UNOSEK'S THINKING THAN THE PROPOSALS TABLED BY 
BELGRADE. 
 
¶8. (SBU) THE FOLLOWING ARE FUNCTIONAL UPDATES ON ONGOING 
ISSUES: 
 
--DECENTRALIZATION:  FOLLOWING THE ROHAN TRIP, UNOSEK 
WILL DRAFT A NEW PAPER ON DECENTRALIZATION THAT WILL SEEK 
TO NARROW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES.  UNOSEK 
HAS, OR IS RECEIVING, INPUT FROM PRISTINA AND BELGRADE OF 
THEIR VIEWS OF THE SUGGESTED CHANGES AND BRACKETS IN THE 
EXISTING UNOSEK PAPER.  UNOSEK WILL LIKELY THEN TRAVEL 
BACK TO BELGRADE AND PRISTINA TO CONSULT FURTHER. 
--PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS SITES/CULTURAL HERITAGE:  THE 
PARTIES AND THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (SOC) HAVE 
RECEIVED AN INVITATION, DRAFT AGENDA, AND DISCUSSION 
PAPER FOR THE MAY 23 MEETING (COPY E-MAILED TO EUR/SCE). 
PRISTINA HAS ANNOUNCED ITS DELEGATION.  ALTHOUGH THE SOC 
INITIALLY INFORMED UNOSEK IT WILL BE REPRESENTED BY 
METROPOLITAN AMFILOHIJE, BISHOP IRINEJ OF BACKA, AND 
BISHOP TEODOSIJE OF DECANI, UNOSEK RECEIVED 5/20 A 
MESSAGE FROM BELGRADE ADDING BISHOP ARTEMIJE OF RASKA AND 
PRIZREN TO THE BELGRADE DELEGATION LIST. MEANWHILE, 
PRISTINA HAS INFORMED UNOSEK IT IS PUTTING DRAFT LAWS ON 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND ON CULTURAL HERITAGE ON A FAST 
TRACK FOR RAPID ASSEMBLY APPROVAL.  UNOSEK HAS WORKED 
WITH THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE AND PRISTINA ON BOTH LAWS AND 
BELIEVES THAT THEY ARE NOW BOTH IN GOOD SHAPE.  UNOSEK'S 
CONCERNS ABOUT THE LAW ON CULTURAL HERITAGE HAVE BEEN 
ADDRESSED BY PRISTINA ACCEPTANCE OF A UNOSEK-PROPOSED 
AMENDMENT.  UNOSEK UNDERSTANDS, HOWEVER, THAT THE SOC HAS 
ASKED THAT THE CULTURAL HERITAGE LAW BE PUT ON A SLOWER 
TRACK OUT OF FEAR THAT IT MIGHT "PREJUDGE" STATUS. 
--MINORITY RIGHTS, RETURNS, MISSING PERSONS, STANDARDS: 
ROHAN AND THE UNOSEK TEAM AGAIN RAISED WITH BELGRADE THE 
QUESTION OF A MEETING ON MINORITY PROTECTION ISSUES. 
BELGRADE REFUSED TO CONSIDER IT.  MEANWHILE, PRISTINA HAS 
SUGGESTED IT WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT ITS 59-PAGE PROPOSAL 
FORMALLY TO UNOSEK.  UNOSEK INTENDS TO CALL A MEETING 
REGARDLESS OF BELGRADE'S VIEWS, BUT WILL LIKELY DO SO 
ONLY AFTER IT HAS EXHAUSTED AREAS OF POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL 
PROGRESS WITH BELGRADE ON DECENTRALIZATION AND CHURCH 
ISSUES.  MEANWHILE, PRISTINA IS ORGANIZING A SEMINAR IN 
THESSALONIKI THE WEEK OF JUNE 19 REVIEW ITS PROPOSAL WITH 
INTERESTED INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SOLICIT 
FEEDBACK/REFINEMENT. 
 
--ECONOMY, PROPERTY ISSUES, EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES:  EU 
SPECIAL ENVOY STEFAN LEHNE REPORTED THAT HIS "TECHNICAL 
MISSION" TO PRISTINA (MAY 9-11) AND BELGRADE (MAY 15-17) 
SUGGESTS A POTENTIALLY DIFFICULT MAY 31 MEETING ON 
ECONOMIC ISSUES.  IN PARTICULAR, BELGRADE IS INSISTING 
THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS FIRST DEAL WITH PROPERTY ISSUES, 
INCLUDING QUESTIONS OF PRIVATIZATION, PRIOR TO ANY 
DISCUSSION OF DEBT APPORTIONMENT.  BOTH SIDES HAVE AGREED 
TO A MAY 31 MEETING IN VIENNA.  THE USG WILL ALSO BE 
INVITED TO PARTICIPATE. 
 
MCCAW