VZCZCXRO4540
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0027/01 0101631
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101631Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0044
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1278
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RXFEAA/HQ AFSOUTH NAPLES IT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000027 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KBTS SR YI
SUBJECT: PM KOSTUNICA'S OUTRAGE OVER BABIN MOST 
INCIDENT 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  PM Kostunica expressed to Contact 
Group (CG) Ambassadors 1/9/07 his deep concern over 
the alleged mistreatment of K-Serbs in Babin Most by 
ethnic Albanian KPS officers earlier this month. 
Displaying strong emotion, the PM stood by his earlier 
public assertion that the Babin Most incidents 
represented the latest phase in a campaign by the KPS 
and international community to "ethnically cleanse" 
Serbs from Kosovo.  Unless perpetrators of the alleged 
beatings were punished, he warned that this incident 
could spark a wave of anti-Serb violence similar to 
the events of March 2004.  The UK and US cautioned the 
PM to refrain from inflammatory language that would 
only serve to make his dire prophecies more likely to 
happen.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (SBU) PM Kostunica called in CG chiefs of mission 
1/9 to express consternation over the Babin Most 
events.  The previous day, he (and President Tadic) 
had met with the family of a Babin Most Serb (Srecko 
Simic) who claimed to have been beaten by 50 K- 
Albanian KPS officers while handcuffed.  Kostunica, 
citing Simic's description of events, also alleged to 
the CG reps that Simic had been beaten until "almost 
dead," that UN police observed the entire incident but 
did not intervene, and that only K-Serb houses (i.e., 
no K-Albanian houses) in the vicinity were targeted 
for searches.   Kostunica noted that KPS, after 
detaining Simic in Pristina, released him, 
acknowledging that Simic was not a suspect in the 
shooting death of the KPS officer that prompted the 
KPS searches in Babin Most.  The PM did acknowledge, 
and expressed gratitude, for the response of DSRSG 
Schook, who quickly sent a vehicle to Babin Most to 
provide security for the Simic family. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Kostunica characterized the Babin Most 
incidents as only the latest event in a long-running 
campaign to cleanse Kosovo of Serbs.  Following his 
meeting with the Simic family on 1/8 (during which the 
Simic's said they planned to leave Kosovo), the PM 
issued an impassioned public condemnation of the 
"bestial" behavior of the KPS officers.  In that 
statement, the PM also charged the KPS, UNMIK, and 
international community of "participating in ...an 
attempt to expel Serbs from Kosovo or ethnic 
cleansing."   The fact that the arrest and beating of 
Simic happened at Orthodox Christmastime was intended 
to frighten the Serb community of Kosovo, he asserted. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The PM called repeatedly for the KPS 
perpetrators of the alleged mistreatment of Babin Most 
Serbs to be punished, arguing that such an outcome 
represented the only way to calm inter-ethnic tensions 
in Kosovo.  If there were no arrests in this case (as 
there had not been in the long line of Albanian-on- 
Serb crimes going back to March 2004 and before, he 
said), he feared the outbreak of another wave of anti- 
Serb violence.  After all, he argued, the March 2004 
violence against Serbs had been sparked by unfounded 
rumors that Serbs had inflicted violence on Albanians. 
(Comment:  His implication was that the KPS actions in 
Babin Most created the impression that Serbs killed 
the KPS policeman, a notion that could prompt 
Albanians to seek vengeance on Serbs throughout 
Kosovo.  End Comment) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Following a series of largely non-substantive 
interventions, the UK Ambassador, speaking on 
instructions, averred that the preliminary results 
from the ongoing UN investigation sharply differed 
from the version of events described by the PM.   He 
described as "regrettable" the PM's references to 
"torture and ethnic cleansing" and appealed to the GOS 
leadership to avoid inflammatory language.  The Charge 
also rejected the PM's insinuation that the 
international community wanted to see Serbs expelled 
from Kosovo, expressing particular concern over the 
PM's allegations of an international campaign of 
"ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo.   Inflammatory rhetoric 
from Belgrade would just make it more likely that the 
PM's fears of a repeat of March 2004 would be 
realized.   Charge also pointed to the USG's strong 
support for efforts to improve security and 
decentralization in Kosovo.  Drawing on information 
provided by USOP and the UN, Charge urged the PM not 
to jump to conclusions about the circumstances of the 
 
BELGRADE 00000027  002 OF 002 
 
 
case and to allow the investigations to proceed. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The PM responded emotionally and refused to 
back away from his use of the term "ethnic cleansing," 
noting that "two-thirds of Serbs have already been 
forced to leave Kosovo."  He said he would be the 
first to condemn Serb-on-Albanian violence, but the 
fact is that "all ethnically-motivated crimes seem to 
happen against Serbs."  He agreed that the 
investigations needed to proceed, but he held out 
little hope -- based upon past experience -- that 
there would be any result implicating K-Albanians in 
the mistreatment of Serbs. 
 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT:  This is by no means the first time 
that the PM has expressed his outrage to IC reps over 
the treatment of K-Serbs.  The fact that Serbia is in 
an election campaign, that the Ahtisaari visit is 
approaching, and that he had met personally with Simic 
family certainly contributed to the PM's decision to 
convoke the CG over this issue and to use fiery public 
rhetoric.  That said, of the numerous incidents 
involving Serbs over the last few years, the Babin 
Most events -- at least as described by the UN -- 
seems to be an unlikely cause celebre.   First of all, 
the police actions occurred against the backdrop of 
the killing of an ethnic Albanian police officer in 
the vicinity of a predominantly Serb community. 
Secondly, we have seen no strong evidence that any 
Serbs suffered substantial physical harm.  We 
interpret the PM's actions as an effort to demonstrate 
-- to the domestic and international audience -- that 
Serbs would not be able to live safely in a state 
dominated by Albanians. 
 
MOORE