VZCZCXRO3528
OO RUEHAST
DE RUEHPS #0567/01 1811703
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301703Z JUN 06 ZDK
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6272
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0750
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHFMIUU/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT
RHMFIUU/CDR TF FALCON
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUFOANA/USNIC PRISTINA SR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PRISTINA 000567 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE, AND EUR/SSA, NSC FOR BRAUN, 
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (ADDED SENSITIVE CAPTION) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PREF UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: PM CEKU UP-BEAT ON FULFILLMENT OF 
PRIORITIES FOR STANDARDS IMPLEMENTATION 
 
REF: PRISTINA 491 
 
PRISTINA 00000567  001.4 OF 004 
 
 
Sensitive, But Unclassified; Please Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Prime Minister Agim Ceku gave Contact 
Group representatives a largely positive interim report June 
27 on progress on the 13 priorities for standards 
implementation delivered to Kosovo's Provisional Institutions 
of Self-Governance (PISG) on June 8 (reftel).  While the 
report showed incremental progress on most points, we should 
expect a roller-coaster ride as Ceku and the PISG come down 
to the wire on several of the early deadlines provided by the 
Contact Group.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Prime Minister Agim Ceku briefed Contact Group (CG) 
representatives June 27 on progress in fulfilling the 13 
priorities for standards implementation.  While admitting 
progress has slowed, Ceku reassured those present that the 13 
points will be fulfilled.  For their part, CG representatives 
pressed Ceku for specific details and reminded him that 
meeting several of the early deadlines will require concerted 
effort by the Kosovo government. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Minority-Focused Laws Progressing 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ceku said that next week, the Kosovo Assembly would 
give the first reading to the draft law on religious freedom 
and the government would adopt the law on cultural heritage 
and send it to the Assembly.  Ceku admitted there has been no 
progress on a law on languages, but said his office will get 
involved so that it too will be finalized by the Assembly in 
August.  (NOTE:  Neither of the laws on religious freedom or 
cultural heritage were on the agenda for the June 29 session 
of the Kosovo Assembly and there is no plenary session 
scheduled for the week of July 3.  The latest version of the 
law on religious freedom currently sits with the Assembly 
where three different functional committees must review it. 
The draft law on languages has been with the Assembly since 
June 2005.  Kosovo Assembly president Kole Berisha and 
influential Assembly presidency member Mahir Yagcilar have 
tentatively agreed to designate Turkish as an official 
language in four municipalities.  END NOTE.). 
 
---------------------------- 
KPC Hard at Work in Svinjare 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ceku told CG representatives that the Kosovo 
government has transferred 417,000 euros to the Kosovo 
Protection Corps (KPC) to complete repairs to homes in 
Svinjare damaged during the March 2004 riots.  According to 
Ceku, the KPC has already provided tools to the residents of 
Svinjare so they can clean and repair the Serb cemetery there 
as a confidence-building measure.  He added that up to now, 
local residents in Svinjare have welcomed the participation 
of the KPC in reconstruction efforts there.  UNMIK and the 
Ministry of Economics and Finance are discussing how to 
transfer the remaining 550,000 euros to the KPC to finish 
repairs and build secondary buildings. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
Kosovo Property Agency Devising Rental Scheme Pilot Project 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ceku stated that a special unit at the Kosovo 
Property Agency (KPA) will begin a pilot project rental 
scheme on August 1 involving some of the over 5,000 
residential properties formerly under the administration of 
its predecessor, the Housing Property Directorate (HPD).  He 
added that the Ministry of Environmental and Spatial Planning 
is preparing a proposal to facilitate the work of the pilot 
project and will present it at the next meeting of the 
Property Rights Standard working group.  Ceku and members of 
his staff explained to the group that they were not aware of 
any outstanding cases in which the KPA asked the Kosovo 
 
PRISTINA 00000567  002.4 OF 004 
 
 
Police Service (KPS) to enforce or implement any of the 2,804 
pending HPD claims.  The head of the Russian liaison office 
pointed out that in its priority point, the CG was interested 
in the enforcement of all HPD decisions by the end of 2006, 
not simply proof of the willingness of the KPS to support 
when asked.  In a June 28 update, Ceku advisor Avni Arifi 
claimed that only 2,044 cases have not been implemented and 
1,800 of these decisions have been appealed. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Both the HPD and KPA have suffered from chronic 
funding problems.  KPA Executive Director Knut Rosandhaug 
told visiting Regional Refugee Coordinator and PolFSN on June 
28 that the KPA only has enough money to continue operations 
until the end of July and needs 5 million euros to run their 
yearly operations.  UNMIK Rule of Law Advisor Nick Booth told 
PolOff June 29 that the European Agency for Reconstruction 
has committed 3 million euros to support the KPA.  Since its 
creation in March 2006, the KPA has collected 681 claims, 
including 491 for commercial properties, 140 for agricultural 
properties and 50 for residential properties.  The KPA has 
not yet begun collecting claims from internally-displaced 
persons in Serbia. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
Ceku Promises Minority Input to New Transportation Strategy 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Ceku explained that the Kosovo government plans to 
begin new minority bus lines in July and that the Kosovo 
government and UNMIK are currently discussing the transfer of 
operational capacities (buses, inventory and the existing 
repair shop) by June 30.  He agreed with the British and 
Russian liaison office heads that, as the main beneficiary of 
the transportation strategy, Kosovo Serbs should have a 
representative on the committee developing a public 
transportation strategy for minorities.  He added that PDSRSG 
Steve Schook had suggested someone from the Belgrade-based 
Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija as the Serb 
representative, but that he felt this candidate was 
unacceptable and requested UNMIK come up with another. 
(NOTE:  Discussions regarding the transfer of this competency 
are underway between UNMIK and the Ministry of Transport and 
Communications.  The ministry has proposed 13 new routes for 
minority transport, but UNMIK wants to know how these routes 
were determined.  END NOTE.). 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Last-Minute Allocation of Returns Funding 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Ceku announced that on June 6, the Kosovo government 
had allocated 1.5 million euros to fund the UNDP Sustainable 
Partnership for Assistance to Returns to Kosovo (SPARK) 
program, and a further 500,000 euros to the municipality of 
Istog to complete infrastructure work at a returns site 
funded by the city of Moscow.  Ceku promised to provide CG 
representatives with the government's allocation of the 
remainder of the money allocated to support returns in 2006. 
 
¶9. (SBU) According to UNMIK's Office of Communities, Returns 
and Minorities (OCRM), the 2006 Kosovo government returns 
budget was 8.4 million euros, of which 3 million euros was 
used to pay the debts the Ministry for Communities and 
Returns had overspent in 2005.  The OCRM Director told PolOff 
June 30 that Returns Minister Slavisa Petkovic had 
reluctantly agreed the remainder of the money would be 
allocated as follows:  1.1 million euros to complete March 
2004 reconstruction; 210,000 euros to finish construction of 
homes for 12 families from the Plementina refugee camp; 
660,000 euros for the Roma return project in 
Abdullahu-Presevo (Gjilan municipality) and 760,000 euros for 
the return project in the Serb village of Kucici 
(Skenderaj/Srbica) municipality.  The OCRM Director added 
that Petkovic will have to give up on his project to build 
20,000 square meters of apartment space in Pristina, Peja and 
Prizren or submit them through proper review mechanisms 
during which, she added, UNMIK, UNHCR and UNDP would block it 
 
PRISTINA 00000567  003.8 OF 004 
 
 
as "not sustainable." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
Little the PISG Can Do on Convictions for March 2004 Riots 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Concerning the completion of all investigations and 
prosecutions from the March 2004 riots, Ceku said that the 
Ministry of Justice is working closely with UNMIK.  He added 
that the ministry is making public appeals to encourage the 
public to cooperate with authorities investigating these 
events and noted that work on seven high profile cases is 
continuing. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Ceku said that although the IMF has put restraints 
on the hiring of new personnel, the government is looking for 
ways to hire interpreters and translators for most of the 
ministries.  He said he expects a decision within two weeks 
allowing for the hiring of at least one translator in each 
ministry. 
 
¶12. (SBU) According to Ceku, the commission established to 
manage the Kosovo government Minority Media Fund reviewed 31 
applications and selected 11 recipients (4 ethnic Serb, 2 
Bosniak, 1 Turkish, 2 multi-ethnic and 2 vulnerable groups). 
He said the Kosovo government had approved the grants and 
that funds would be transferred to the beneficiaries in the 
near future. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
PISG Has Done Well Setting up Local Police and Courts 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) Ceku noted that the Kosovo government has already 
opened nine court liaison offices in Gracanica/Graqanice, 
Novoberdo/Novoberde, Grazhdec/Gorazdevac, Vrbovc/Vrbovce, 
Velika Hoca/Hoce e Madhe, Priluzje/Priluzhe, Silovo/Shillove, 
Mitrovica/Mitrovice and Novake; and that offices in the 
ethnic Serb villages of Osanje (Istog municipality) and 
Bablak (Ferizaj municipality) are in their final stages of 
planning.  He noted that all lacked vehicles, an issue he 
hoped the Kosovo government would soon remedy.  He announced 
that, to date, the Kosovo Police Service has opened ten 
police sub-stations and that three more are scheduled to open 
in June, but his advisor Avni Arifi later updated CG 
representatives that, in fact, the Kosovo Police Service has 
already set up 15 substations and two others are planned. 
 
-------------------------- 
But Less So on Rule of Law 
-------------------------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) Ceku's report on progress on the three CG priority 
items concerning good governance/rule of law was less 
satisfying.  Ceku reported that none of the initial 
candidates who applied for the job of director to the 
Anti-Corruption Agency were suitable and it was republished 
with a closing date of June 30.  Ceku opined that the low 
salary kept good candidates from applying.  CG 
representatives were skeptical that the government would meet 
the July 1 deadline for this action set out as one of the 13 
priorities.  Ceku noted that appointment of the members of 
the Independent Media Commission had been on the agenda of 
the Kosovo Assembly, but was taken off.  He reported that the 
revised draft law on public procurement would have its first 
reading during this session of the Kosovo Assembly.  On June 
29 the Assembly decided that rather than introduce an 
entirely new draft law, the government should make amendments 
to the existing law from 2003. 
 
¶15. (SBU) COMMENT:  After early success in fulfilling the 
CG's 13 priorities for standards implementation, Ceku and the 
PISG have run into political and financial realities that 
have slowed, but not stopped, their progress.  The meeting 
with CG representatives was a good opportunity to keep Ceku 
and his staff focused on impending deadlines and the task 
ahead.  END COMMENT. 
 
PRISTINA 00000567  004.8 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶16. (U) U.S. Office Pristina clears this cable for release in 
its entirety to U.N. Special Envoy for Kosovo Martti 
Ahtisaari. 
GOLDBERG