VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #3336/01 3191525
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151525Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0786
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 0670
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0483
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3918
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0168

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 003336 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR BERT BRAUN 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU
COMBINE: COMPLETE 
 
SUBJECT: (SBU) UNOSEK: CONTINUING WORK AND OUTREACH DURING INTERIM 
PERIOD 
 
 
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). 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY:  ON NOVEMBER 10, FOLLOWING THE SERBIAN 
ANNOUNCEMENT THAT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WOULD BE HELD IN JANUARY, 
UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE FUTURE STATUS PROCESS FOR KOSOVO, MARTTI 
AHTISAARI, ANNOUNCED THAT HIS COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL 
WOULD BE DELIVERED TO THE PARTIES, WITHOUT DELAY, AFTER THE SERBIAN 
ELECTIONS.  DURING THE INTERIM PERIOD, AHTISAARI IS FILLING HIS 
CALENDAR, MEETING WITH EUROPEAN LEADERS TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS TO 
DATE AND TO PRESS THEM ON THE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD QUICKLY AFTER THE 
SERB ELECTIONS.  HE WILL ALSO TRAVEL TO NEW YORK TO MAKE HIS CASE 
WITH NEW SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE NEW SECRETARY GENERAL. 
MEANWHILE THE UNOSEK TEAM WILL CONTINUE DEVELOPING AND REFINING THE 
TEXT OF THE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL, AS WELL AS WORKING MORE CLOSELY 
WITH THE EU-LED TRANSITION TEAM ALREADY ON THE GROUND IN PRISTINA. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) ON NOVEMBER 10, SERBIAN PRESIDENT BORIS TADIC ANNOUNCED 
THAT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WOULD BE HELD ON JANUARY 21, 2007. 
IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS IN VIENNA, AND FOLLOWING CONSULTATIONS WITH 
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CONTACT GROUP, UN SPECIAL ENVOY MARTTI 
AHTISAARI ANNOUNCED THAT THE UNOSEK COMPREHENSIVE PROPOSAL FOR THE 
FUTURE STATUS OF KOSOVO WOULD BE DELIVERED TO THE PARTIES AFTER THE 
ELECTIONS.  IN A STATEMENT RELEASED TO THE PRESS AFTER THE MEETING 
WITH THE CONTACT GROUP, UNOSEK SAID:  "IN THE LIGHT OF THE 
ANNOUNCEMENT BY PRESIDENT TADIC TO HOLD SERBIAN PARLIAMENTARY 
ELECTIONS ON 21 JANUARY 2007, AND AFTER CONSULTING WITH THE CONTACT 
GROUP TODAY, I HAVE DECIDED TO PRESENT MY PROPOSAL ON KOSOVO STATUS 
TO THE PARTIES WITHOUT DELAY AFTER THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN 
SERBIA." 
 
¶4.  (SBU) AHTISAARI INTENDS TO USE THESE MONTHS BEFORE PRESENTING TO 
THE PARTIES TO HELP SHAPE THE POLITICAL CLIMATE FOR WHAT UNOSEK 
BELIEVES WILL BE THE APPROACHING ENDGAME.  THUS, AHTISAARI HAS 
DECIDED AGAINST USING THE INTERIM PERIOD TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS 
WITH THE BELGRADE AND PRISTINA DELEGATIONS, BELIEVING THAT THE 
USEFULNESS OF SUCH TECHNICAL TALKS HAS BEEN FULLY EXHAUSTED.  (NOTE: 
THE ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS MAY BE A MUCH-DELAYED VISIT TO BELGRADE AT 
THE TECHNICAL LEVEL TO DISCUSS CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS HERITAGE 
PROTECTIVE ZONES.  END NOTE.)  INSTEAD, AHTISAARI IS EXPECTED TO 
CONTINUE HIS OUTREACH EFFORTS IN SPECIFIC EUROPEAN CAPITALS TO 
EXPLAIN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS TO DATE AND TO PREVIEW THE LESS 
CONTROVERSIAL PARTS OF HIS SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL.  IN THIS VEIN, HE 
PREVIEWED PARTS OF HIS PROPOSAL IN BRUSSELS WITH THE EU FOREIGN 
MINISTERS AT THE GAERC ON NOVEMBER 13 AND WILL MEET WITH THE OSCE 
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES ON NOVEMBER 15.  IN ADDITION, HE IS 
SCHEDULED TO TRAVEL TO ROME ON NOVEMBER 17 TO MEET WITH ITALIAN 
PRIME MINISTER ROMANO PRODI AND TO BERLIN ON DECEMBER 1 TO MEET WITH 
GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL.  COMPLEMENTING THESE EFFORTS IN 
EUROPE, AHTISAARI IS ALSO CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO TRAVEL TO NEW YORK 
AT THE END OF NOVEMBER WHERE HE WILL MEET WITH THE NEW INCOMING 
MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS UN SECRETARY 
GENERAL-DESIGNATE BAN KI-MOON. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) MEANWHILE, THE UNOSEK TEAM WILL USE THE ADDITIONAL TIME TO 
FURTHER DEVELOP AND REFINE ITS DRAFT SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL.  UNOSEK IS 
WORKING ON DEVELOPING A MORE DETAILED JUSTICE SECTOR ANNEX TO THE 
SETTLEMENT, AS WELL AS AN ADDITIONAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ANNEX, WHICH 
WOULD OUTLINE FOR KOSOVAR AUTHORITIES, UNMIK AND THE FUTURE 
INTERNATIONAL CIVILIAN OFFICE (ICO) THE NECESSARY LEGISLATION WHICH 
WILL NEED TO BE PASSED IN ORDER FOR KOSOVO TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT 
THE SETTLEMENT PACKAGE AND ENSURE THAT ITS PROVISIONS ARE INTEGRATED 
INTO THE DOMESTIC LEGAL FRAMEWORK.  IN ADDITION, UNOSEK IS STILL 
AWAITING ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION FROM THE EU ON ITS ANTICIPATED 
ROLE, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND AUTHORITIES OF THE FUTURE EU-LED 
EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICY (ESDP) MISSION IN KOSOVO, WHICH 
IS EXPECTED TO TAKEOVER FROM THE UNMIK CIVILIAN POLICE MISSION POST 
SETTLEMENT.  UNOSEK EXPECTS TO RECEIVE CLARIFICATION ON THIS ISSUE 
FROM THE EU COUNCIL ONLY AFTER MID-DECEMBER. TO THIS END, UNOSEK 
PLANS TO HOST SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH THE RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL 
INTERLOCUTORS THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER IN VIENNA TO 
SUFFICIENTLY REVIEW ASPECTS OF THE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL AND TO ENSURE 
THAT ALL OUTSTANDING ISSUES AND CONTINGENCIES ARE SUFFICIENTLY 
COVERED. 
 
VIENNA 00003336  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  IN THE DAYS AHEAD, UNOSEK WILL ALSO CONTINUE COORDINATING 
MORE CLOSELY WITH THE EU-LED ICO TRANSITION TEAM WHICH IS ALREADY ON 
THE GROUND IN PRISTINA PREPARING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S 
ROLE IN KOSOVO POST STATUS AND POST-UNMIK.  UNOSEK HAS ALREADY MET 
WITH THE TRANSITION TEAM SEVERAL TIMES IN BOTH PRISTINA AND VIENNA 
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS.  THIS COOPERATION IS EXPECTED TO 
INTENSIFY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AS BOTH UNOSEK AND THE WIDER 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PREPARE TO MAKE THE EXPECTED TRANSITION FROM 
UNMIK TO THE NEW INTERNATIONAL CIVILIAN PRESENCE AS SMOOTHLY AS 
POSSIBLE POST STATUS SETTLEMENT.