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DE RUEHNO #0699/01 3410749
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P 070749Z DEC 06
FM USMISSION USNATO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0274
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000699 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR, EUR/RPM, EUR/SCE, PM, IO, 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2016 
TAGS: NATO PREL MARR XB
SUBJECT: A/S FRIED BRIEFS ADRIATIC THREE MINISTERS ON RIGA 
SUMMIT, KOSOVO STATUS 
 
REF: A. 12/29/06 RIGA DECLARATION (SEE NATO WEBSITE) 
 
     ¶B. 12/04/06 USNATO-EUR/RPM E-MAIL 
     ¶C. SECSTATE 179829 
 
Classified By: EUR A/S Fried for reasons 1.4 (b/d) 
 
SUMMARY: 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) EUR A/S Fried briefed Albanian, Croatian, and 
Macedonian FMs December 3 on Riga summit outcomes and the 
upcoming decision on Kosovo,s final status.  He urged their 
assistance in moderating both Serbian and Kosovar responses 
to this last unresolved Balkans security issue.  The Adriatic 
Three responded warmly to Fried,s message and agreed to 
cooperate against extremism on either side.  Bosnian, 
Serbian, and Montenegrin representatives who joined a 
follow-on session expressed surprise and satisfaction with 
their invitations to join NATO,s Partnership for Peace. 
Serbia called for a Kosovo decision "based on international 
law and negotiated in the spirit of compromise," and 
acknowledged its continuing ICTY obligations.  See list of 
participants, para 8.  End Summary. 
 
FOCUS ON KOSOVO 
--------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) EUR Assistant Secretary Fried met with Adriatic 
Charter (&A-38 ) Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia) Foreign 
Ministers December 3 in Brussels to brief them on the Riga 
Summit and discuss the road ahead for Kosovo.  He walked them 
through the Riga Declaration (REF A) language on Enlargement 
(para 30) and the invitation to Serbia, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina (BiH) and Montenegro to join the Partnership for 
Peace (PfP ) para 36), before focusing on the upcoming 
Kosovo Final Status decision. 
 
¶3. (C) Fried acknowledged that resolving the issue of 
Kosovo,s status, &the great unresolved question of the 
Balkans,8 was risky, but stressed that the status quo was 
unacceptable and unstable.  He acknowledged the reality that 
Kosovo would have sovereignty, and asked the A-3 Ministers to 
work with the Kosovars to take on that responsibility and to 
work with Serbia to accept that solution and to move forward, 
with the rest of the Balkans, on the track of reform and 
Euro-Atlantic integration. 
 
A-3 PRIORITIES 
-------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Albanian, Croatian, and Macedonian FMs responded 
positively to A/S Fried,s presentation.  They agreed with 
his analysis of the risks for Kosovo and for Serbia, and 
offered to help with the transition to final status. 
Albanian FM Mustafaj sought to allay fears of a &greater 
Albania8 encompassing parts of Macedonia and Kosovo by 
pointing out that none of the 30 parties active in Albania 
called for any change to the nation,s borders.  He and 
Croatian FM Grabar-Kitarovic suggested ways they could mentor 
Kosovo through the transition to independence.  Macedonian FM 
Milososki said he had urged moderation with Kosovar PM Ceku 
the previous week in Pristina, and had found him a 
&surprisingly mature8 politician. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The A-3 reps acknowledged that hard work remained to 
meet NATO standards by NATO,s 2008 Summit and described the 
status of their domestic economic, legal and defense reforms 
and Membership Action Plan (MAP) implementation. 
Grabar-Kitarovic announced an increase in Croatia,s 
contribution to ISAF and its intention to soon take 
leadership of a PRT.  Milososki announced the lifting of all 
caveats on Macedonia,s forces in Afghanistan.  Mustafaj said 
that Albania would devote 2% of GDP to defense in 2007 to 
address &the density of tasks8 it had to address to receive 
an invitation to join NATO in 2008. 
 
NEW PARTNERS ACKNOWLEDGE OBLIGATIONS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (C) In an expanded Adriatic Charter session including 
Bosnian, Montenegrin, and Serbian observers, Fried 
congratulated them on the Riga Summit invitation to join the 
Partnership for Peace, saying NATO had chosen &to put our 
faith and confidence8 in them to meet the standards of NATO 
Partners.  He delivered the clear message that Kosovo,s 
final status resulted from unique historical and political 
factors, and should not be taken as a precedent.  He urged 
&especially the Serbian government to find a place in Europe 
and put behind the horrible legacy of Slobodan Milosevic8 
and stressed that Serbia had to meet its ICTY obligations. 
 
 
¶7. (C) Bosnian FM Ivanic and Montenegrin FM Rocen expressed 
surprise and delight that they had received invitations to 
PfP.  Ivanic said this would increase the determination of 
BiH to meet its ICTY obligations and press ahead with 
sensitive defense reform projects.  Rocen said that 
Montenegro was working to establish new defense institutions, 
introducing a professional armed forces and implementing 
agreements concluded during SecDef,s recent visit to 
Podgorita.  Serbian A/FM Sahovic made a moderate intervention 
(REF B) recognizing that &my government is fully aware of 
the necessity to continue activities related to the 
fulfillment of Serbia,s international obligations, and to 
achieve full cooperation with the ICTY.8  On Kosovo, he 
called for a final status decision &based on international 
law and negotiated in the spirit of compromise.8  All three 
repeated the request made at the April 2006 A-3 meeting at 
Brijuni, Croatia, to accede to the Adriatic Charter. 
 
PARTICIPANTS 
------------ 
 
¶8. (U) U.S. 
       ---- 
 
- EUR Assistant Secretary Fried 
- USNATO DCM Richard Olson 
- USNATO PolOff Underwood (notetaker) 
 
Adriatic Three 
-------------- 
 
Albania (Chair) 
 
- FM Besnik Mustafaj 
- Ambassador to NATO Ilir Bocka 
- MFA NATO Director Agim Fagu 
- MFA Americas Director Mimoza Kondo 
 
Croatia 
 
- FM Kolinida Grabar-Kitarovic 
- Ambassador to NATO Davor Bozinovic 
- National Coordinator for NATO Pjer Simunovic 
 
Macedonia 
 
- FM Antonio Milososki 
- Ambassador to NATO Nano Ruzin 
- National Cooerdinator for NATO Nikola Dimitrov 
- MFA Director Zoran Dubik 
 
NATO 
---- 
 
- D/ASG Robert Simmons 
- Gabrielle Cascone 
 
Observers 
--------- 
 
Bosnia and Herzegovina 
 
- FM Mladen Ivanic 
- NATO Mission Counsellor Sandra Radojevic 
 
Montenegro 
 
- FM Milan Rocen 
- Ambassador to EU Slavica Milacic 
- Acting Head of Mission Bojan Sarkic 
- A/FM Dragana Radulovic 
 
Serbia 
 
- A/FM Dejan Sahovic 
- Special Envoy to NATO Branislav Milinkovic 
- Mission to NATO Milena Mitic 
NULAND