VZCZCXRO2619
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPS #1096/01 3561306
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221306Z DEC 06
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6860
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0967
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 02 PRISTINA 001096 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR 
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: WORKING GROUP ON PUBLIC OUTREACH HOLDS 
FIRST MEETING 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:   USOP called and hosted the organizing 
meeting of a new Working Group on Public Outreach, created 
under the ICO/UNMIK/U.S./PISG transitional framework now in 
place. (Note:  Progress on overall transition efforts are 
reported septel.)  Representatives from the Unity Team, 
government, and opposition, as well as the OSCE, ICO, and 
UNMIK discussed current strategies, challenges and next 
steps.  There was general consensus that coordination and 
support for public outreach to explain the final settlement 
details to the Kosovo public was long overdue, and that the 
working group should be located in the OSCE ) as a 
politically neutral party ) but with ample participation 
from the Kosovars, as the real stakeholders in this process, 
and technical support from the USG.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The initial organizational meeting of the Working 
Group on Public Outreach met December 20, 2006, to establish 
a structure and action plan for a coordinated strategy to 
ensure public support for the final status package. 
Attending were representatives from the OSCE, UNMIK, the 
planning team for the International Civilian Office (ICO), 
the Unity Team, the Prime Minister,s Office, and opposition 
parties the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and ORA.  The 
Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) representative dropped out 
at the last minute due to other obligations.  The meeting was 
held at USAID, with the COM chairing and POL, PD and USAID 
officers in attendance. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Discussion centered around creation of a mechanism 
to bring together existing, but disparate, efforts on public 
diplomacy, as well as how to expand the reach of these 
efforts in a targeted fashion aimed at both Kosovo Albanians 
and Kosovo Serbs.  OSCE described its own outreach program, 
coordinated with UNMIK and KFOR; according to the OSCE rep, 
OSCE has been running priority assessments of individual 
communities (to determine &hot spots8) and issues 
(decentralization, reconciliation, peace and prosperity), and 
tailoring its outreach programs accordingly.  The tools for 
OSCE's outreach campaign include town hall meetings, closed 
meetings, and media outreach, with a particular focus on 
utilizing "multipliers" -- i.e., finding ways to enhance the 
resonance of settlement-related issues by building several 
events in concert with each other.  Recent 
OSCE/UNMIK/KFOR-sponsored programs have included a program 
for Kosovo Serb community leaders in Belgrade (Belgrade press 
headline: &Kosovo Serbs want to stay in Kosovo8) and a 
wide-ranging ethnic-Serb NGO round table in Gracanica. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Prime Minister,s Spokeswoman and her deputy 
described the PISG public information strategy, developed 
separately in a forum with internationals and government 
leaders comprising what they call a "Public Information 
Coordination Group."  Their office coordinates and develops 
specific messages, including the PM,s weekly radio address, 
and plans events.  The Prime Minister has conducted seven 
public meetings outside of Pristina so far, in collaboration 
with the local government leaders and also the KPS. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Other group members commented critically on the 
failure to develop a unified outreach strategy, and agreed 
that the formation of this new working group could help 
provide the impetus needed to bring the various strands 
together.  They also agreed on a need for a broader, 
media-based campaign to raise awareness of key issues related 
to the settlement, recognizing that the timeline is very 
short before the arrival of UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari with 
his set of proposals. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Working group members were tasked with providing 
detailed descriptions and matrices of their current 
strategies and projects to each other before the next 
meeting, scheduled for December 28 at the OSCE.  There was 
also general agreement that the OSCE, as a neutral player, 
could usefully serve as the locus for the working group 
effort, particularly since this would help alleviate mutual 
 
PRISTINA 00001096  002 OF 002 
 
 
suspicion between the government/PM's office and opposition 
members of the Unity Team.  Unity Team members were asked to 
provide a co-chair for the working group, a prospect they 
said they would refer to the UT leadership for approval. 
USOP undertook to provide technical assistance for the media 
aspects of the campaign, as well as look at providing 
personnel to the effort.  At the December 28 meeting, the 
group will further develop its organizational structure, 
assess the budgetary needs involved, discuss the development 
of messages/themes for a media campaign, and make additional 
technical preparations to find the right commercial PR 
partners, etc. 
 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT:  This was quite literally the first time 
all the relevant actors were able to come together, under 
USOP auspices, to begin consideration of a broad outreach 
campaign to prepare Kosovars for the settlement.  Time is 
tight, and many details remain to be worked out, but the 
framework now exists to try and bring the parties together. 
We will follow up intensively to nurture this project along. 
USOP understands Department may be able to identify an FSO 
for several months to assist, which would be very welcome. 
We would appreciate as well any messages that UNOSEK is 
prepared to endorse prior to the Ahtisaari visit, which could 
help form the basis of the media campaign that eventually 
emerges.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶8. (SBU) U.S. Office Pristina clears this cable in its 
entirety for release to U.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari. 
KAIDANOW