VZCZCXRO1458
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #1157/01 3421552
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 081552Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5505
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SKOPJE 001157 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2016 
TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV PHUM NATO MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: SUSTAINING POST-RIGA MOMENTUM ON NATO 
ACCESSION 
 
REF: A. SKOPJE 1139 
 
     ¶B. SKOPJE 1120 
     ¶C. SKOPJE 1112 
 
SKOPJE 00001157  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.5(B) AND (D) 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. (SBU) We are taking advantage of the positive post-Riga 
Summit mood here to press the GOM to step up NATO MAP-related 
reform implementation.  Macedonia is making progress in some 
areas -- working on constructive government-opposition 
dialogue, promoting economic growth, and strengthening rule 
of law.  It also is taking steps to address religious freedom 
and trafficking in persons challenges.  We will use the next 
several weeks to work with the government to enhance and 
consolidate that progress, with the aim of giving Macedonia a 
needed boost as it begins the crucial run-up to a membership 
assessment in 2007, and a hoped-for membership invitation in 
¶2008.  End Summary. 
 
POST-RIGA AFTERGLOW AND NATO MAP 
 
¶2. (SBU) In the afterglow of the Riga Summit communique, 
which was greeted very positively by the government, public, 
and press (ref A), conditions are maximal for pressing the 
GOM to ramp up efforts to implement its NATO MAP-related 
reforms.  During a December 4 meeting with Prime Minister 
Gruevski, the Ambassador stressed the importance of 
preserving and building upon Macedonia's reputation as a 
stable, multi-ethnic democracy in the Balkans. She noted that 
Macedonia has another eight months or so to complete the core 
requirements related to its NATO MAP, including continued 
efforts to forge a constructive political dialogue with the 
main opposition parties. 
 
¶3. (SBU) PM Gruevski readily accepted a second US-EU hosted 
"Leadership Meeting" of the main government and opposition 
party leaders to discuss the way forward on key legislative 
and policy priorities (ref B).  He offered two government 
priorities (constitutional changes regarding the educational 
system and establishment of a ministry for information 
technology) for us to add to the agenda for the meeting, 
scheduled for December 13. 
 
CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR NATO ISAF IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ 
OPERATIONS 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador thanked Gruevski for Macedonia's 
continued support for NATO ISAF efforts in Afghanistan and 
for its contributions to operations in Iraq.  She noted the 
positive impact of Macedonia's recent decision to lift five 
of seven caveats on its forces supporting ISAF operations 
(ref C). Gruevski said he understood the importance of that 
decision, and that he looked forward to visiting Macedonia's 
soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in April or May 2007. 
 
MOVING AHEAD ON ECONOMIC CRITERIA, RULE OF LAW 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that Macedonia's economic 
indicators generally were positive, with a recent USG 
assessment concluding its sovereign and non-sovereign credit 
ratings should be raised a step or two.  Recent successful 
prosecutions of organized crime cases, including a major 
trafficking in persons case, had demonstrated some 
strengthening of rule of law.  The government still had a 
long road ahead in the fight against corruption; judges in 
corruption cases especially needed to demonstrate greater 
control of the judicial process.  PM Gruevski agreed that 
Macedonian judges in some cases were politically influenced 
and did not behave in accordance with the law. 
 
HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LAW 
 
¶6. (C) The Ambassador expressed appreciation for the Prime 
Minister's and Foreign Minister's recent efforts to lobby 
Macedonia's Orthodox Church leaders for a law on religious 
communities and groups that would provide maximum freedom for 
such groups to register and practice in the country. 
Gruevski replied that those discussions had been "tough." 
Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) Archbishop Stefan was 
"politically astute," he said; the other bishops in the MOC 
Synod were much less so and were opposed to a more liberal 
law.  Nevertheless, Gruevski said he accepted the need for a 
 
SKOPJE 00001157  002 OF 003 
 
 
tolerant religious freedom law as a "key element for NATO" 
membership.  The government had prepared a new draft 
religious freedom law, which it would ask OSCE to review.  If 
the new draft met OSCE/ODIHR standards, Gruevski would then 
review it with Macedonia's Islamic community leaders before 
going back to lobby the MOC. 
 
TACKLING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador pressed for more GOM focus on 
trafficking in persons (TIP) as another key NATO membership 
requirement.  She urged PM Gruevski to include at the 
appropriate time in one of his public statements a 
recognition of the TIP problem in Macedonia and a strong 
commitment to combat it.  Gruevski said he would immediately 
include a discussion point on TIP for that day's government 
session agenda.  He also pledged to include a strong 
statement on TIP in one of his upcoming speeches on fighting 
organized crime. 
 
¶8. (SBU) In addition to our efforts to get the government to 
focus more publicly on TIP, we have arranged a December 8 TIP 
digital video conference between State's G/TIP Office and GOM 
officials involved in combating TIP. The objective of that 
exercise (septel) is to discuss steps the government needs to 
take to prevent the country from falling to Tier II Watchlist 
for 2006, and to build a case for an eventual return from 
Tier II to a Tier I rating. 
 
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS, ACCELERATING DEFENSE REFORMS 
 
¶9. (SBU) In a December 7 meeting with the Ambassador, 
President Crvenkovski said that the Riga Summit communique 
had been very well-received in Macedonia, and that the 
government was realistic about the work to be done in the 
coming year.  He had convened the National Security Council 
on December 3 to discuss post-Riga tasks ahead, and was 
pleased that both the government and opposition had shared a 
forward-looking perspective on what needed to be done.  The 
MOD was planning to speed up implementation of defense 
reforms by six months, in order to complete remaining 
MAP-related reforms by June vice December 2007.  One of the 
NSC members, a former Defense Minister, had made a forceful 
pitch for the importance of passing a religious freedom law 
that met international standards. 
 
¶10. (C) Crvenkovski's key concern was that the Gruevski 
government is "spread too thin" and is not prioritizing NATO 
membership-related tasks.  The President recently had told PM 
Gruevski that the government needed to focus on reforms and 
programs related to NATO and EU membership, including Ohrid 
Framework Agreement implementation, defense and judicial 
reforms, and fighting corruption.  Crvenkovski told the 
Ambassador he felt part of the reason for the lack of 
government focus was a sense of overconfidence, fed by high 
poll numbers in its first 100 days "honeymoon period." 
 
WORKING FOR POLITICAL BUY-IN FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE 
 
¶11. (SBU) Contacts in the Prime Minister's office have told 
us that Gruevski plans to ask the opposition eAlbanian party 
DUI and the opposition Social Democrats (SDSM) to nominate 
representatives to participate in the newly-formed 
Inter-Ministerial Committee for NATO Membership.  The 
committee meets monthly to coordinate government efforts on 
NATO membership.  The Social Democrats are likely to provide 
a candidate, and DUI has told us they will consider doing so. 
(NOTE: We have urged DUI to participate, since that would 
send a positive political signal and would be easy to justify 
to DUI's constituents as serving their interests in NATO 
membership.) 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶12. (SBU) The positive climate fostered by the Riga Summit 
communique and President Bush's statement on NATO enlargement 
have provided us with important leverage to press the GOM to 
redouble and focus its attention on completing the 
NATO-related reforms necessary to make Macedonia a strong 
contender for a membership invitation.  We will work with GOM 
contacts over the next several weeks, while the post-Riga 
"high" lasts, to enhance and consolidate the progress the 
 
SKOPJE 00001157  003 OF 003 
 
 
country already has made, and to give it a needed boost 
before it sets off on the crucial run-up to a membership 
assessment in 2007, and a hoped-for invitation in 2008. 
MILOVANOVIC