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RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVB #1322/01 3060858
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 020858Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0091
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6867
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 0565

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 001322 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
HELSINKI FOR SCHLAEFER/PISHKO - PLEASE PASS TO AMB WISNER 
DEPT FOR EUR DICARLO; EUR/SCE HOH, BALIAN, CARCANI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UN UNMIK YI EU HR REGIONAL ISSUES
SUBJECT: CROATIAN COMMITMENT TO KOSOVO OUTREACH DURING 
WISNER VISIT 
 
REF: ZAGREB 1307 
 
Classified By: Pol Off Tom Selinger for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: During his October 29-30 visit to 
Zagreb, Ambassador Wisner secured the GoC's commitment to 
actively assist in the region in promoting acceptance of 
Kosovo's future final status package.  In meetings with Prime 
Minister Ivo Sanader, Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar 
Kitarovic, presidential advisor Budimir Loncar, and MP 
Milorad Pupovac, Wisner outlined what final status might look 
like and stressed the importance of not delaying the outcome 
of the work of President Ahtisaari and the Contact Group. 
Croatian officials expressed enthusiasm at being called to 
play a leadership role in the region but were clearly 
calculating how best to do this, knowing they need to foster 
good relations with Belgrade or they won't wield enough 
influence to lead.  END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
PUPOVAC PROVIDING CRITICAL OUTREACH TO KOSOVO SERBS 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador Wisner praised the work of parliamentarian 
Milorad Pupovac, who reported his recent success in creating 
a committee to organize a Congress of Kosovo Serbs in 
December (reftel).  While Pupovac said he found Kosovo Serb 
politics to be generally fragmented and confused, he was 
impressed by the quality of political leaders at the local 
level, saying he couldn't always find such leadership among 
Serbs in Croatia.  He noted that his work so far has not been 
disrupted by Belgrade or anyone else. 
 
¶3. (C) According to Pupovac, political power sharing between 
Serbs and Albanians will be the measure of a future 
constitutional framework.  "We don't need an attempt at 
another ethnically pure state in this region," he warned, 
adding, "statehood is not a matter of mastery but an 
instrument of equality."  While Pupovac was convinced Kosovo 
PM Agim Ceku understands this, he called on the international 
community to ensure that other Albanian figures were also 
aware. 
 
¶4. (C) Ambassador Wisner stressed that Ahtisaari's proposal 
includes all of the minority protections Pupovac was calling 
for, from the community down to the individual.  Pupovac 
acknowledged this, somewhat bewildered that the Serbs in 
Kosovo would reject the kind of guarantees that Serbs in 
Croatia continue to struggle for.  Pupovac noted that he will 
speak in Belgrade November 13 at the Serb-American Center on 
"Serb Policy after 15 Years" and will include some comments 
about Kosovo.  He agreed to provide Ambassador Wisner with a 
list of the key questions that Kosovo Serbs are asking about 
the final status package. 
 
OPENING OFFICE IN PRISTINA, WEIGHING RECOGNITION OPTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶5. (C) PM Sanader noted that the GoC just decided a week 
prior to open a Croatian mission in Pristina.  He pointed to 
Dr. Pupovac's OSCE-supported efforts to organize political 
structures (reftel) as the GoC's most useful contribution to 
the Serbian community in Kosovo, but was willing in the 
future to reassure Kosovo Serbs himself that there can be 
life after losing power.  He also offered to speak to Kosovo 
PM Agim Ceku, a longtime associate of his, about how the GoC 
has approached the protection of Serb minority rights. 
Sanader stressed that Croatia wants to be a friend and 
advisor to both Serbia and Kosovo. 
 
¶6. (C) FM Grabar-Kitarovic noted that, depending on the 
nature of an eventual UN Security Council resolution, 
recognition of an independent Kosovo may initially be tricky 
for Croatia, given bilateral concerns with Serbia.  However 
the GoC is interested in pushing for a collective approach to 
recognition, according to the FM, giving Croatia the 
political cover of the consensus of a group of nations, such 
as the EU.  Grabar-Kitarovic said the GoC would try to speed 
up resolution of some bilateral matters with Serbia, such as 
border negotiations, to minimize tensions leading up to 
Kosovo recognition.  MFA staff also agreed to provide 
Ambassador Wisner with Croatian analysis of what Serbia might 
do to disrupt Kosovo's final status. 
 
¶7. (C) Grabar-Kitarovic also warned of a mood for delay among 
some EU partners, such as the Greeks.  When the FM noted that 
she would make an official visit to Moscow in the coming 
days, Ambassador Wisner asked her to stress to Russian 
 
ZAGREB 00001322  002 OF 002 
 
 
leaders that this region needs stability and the Contact 
Group needs to stay together or it will stir up a generation 
of trouble here. 
 
PRESIDENT'S ADVISOR CALLS FOR TIME FOR SERBIAN ELECTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶8. (C) President Stjepan Mesic will also step forward to 
promote acceptance of Kosovo's final status, according to his 
Special Advisor for International Relations Budimir Loncar. 
He stressed, however, that the international community should 
allow time for both presidential and parliamentary elections 
in Serbia before announcing the final status.  Loncar said 
Serbian President Tadic told him that Serbian PM Kostunica is 
ready to accept both elections being held in December. 
 
¶9. (C) Loncar also said it would be best if Kosovo's eventual 
UN membership were delayed until Serbia was solidly on the 
track to NATO membership.  He predicted that once Serbia gets 
past losing Kosovo, it will turn hard toward the west. 
BRADTKE