VZCZCXRO6435
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0249 0541701
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231701Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0331
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1302
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RXFEAA/HQ AFSOUTH NAPLES IT

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000249 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PBTS KPAO SR MW YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: SERBIA WEEKLY UPDATE 
 
 
¶1. (U) This cable summarizes notable events relating to 
Serbia and Kosovo. 
 
UNOSEK: the view from Belgrade 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) For the week of 2/19, almost all Kosovo focus was 
on the UNOSEK talks in Vienna.  The media reports from 
Vienna have been mostly straightforward.  However, all 
sources noted that the talks have shown little progress, as 
none of the Serbian team's proposals have been accepted. 
The Radicals, in their traditional rhetoric aimed at their 
base, have urged the negotiating team to abandon the talks. 
There are contradictory messages in the media on whether 
the Ahtisaari proposal will be significantly amended. 
The GOS suggestion for a "Serbian entity" in Kosovo had the 
biggest domestic impact, as well as PM Kostunica's use of 
UNOSEK talks as an excuse to stall government coalition 
negotiations. (Tadic actually uses a similar excuse.) 
Serbia press reports have suggested that Kostunica has 
refused discussions on a possible coalition with President 
Tadic until the conclusion of the UNOSEK talks. 
¶3.  (SBU) Kostunica also used the attacks on UNMIK vehicles 
in Pristina as a way to call for the international 
community not to "reward...Albanian separatists" with 
independence and to warn against the IC submitting to 
threats of violence by K-Albanians.  Both Kostunica and 
Tadic have expressed confidence that the UNSC will not 
approve a resolution which leads to Kosovo's independence. 
Former U.S. UN PermRep Bolton's comments to Voice of 
America warning against an "imposed solution" in Kosovo 
appeared without comment in almost in every daily, and on 
primetime television including national broadcaster RTS. 
 
GOS-KFOR 
-------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) CHOD Ponos told MILOFFs in a 2/22 meeting on that 
he had a positive and productive meeting with KFOR in Nis 
on Wednesday.  Ponos said the two sides had good 
discussions about parallel patrols, lines of communication 
and information sharing, and control of refugee flows. 
Ponos said he is confident of a good professional working 
relationship between the Serbian armed forces and KFOR 
throughout the Kosovo status process. 
 
Protests at Embassy next week 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Looking ahead to next week, the Interior Ministry 
(MUP) has informed post that it has approved the Serbian 
National Council's request to hold a demonstration outside 
the Embassy on February 27 at 1400.  The rally by this 
group of mostly hardline Kosovo Serbs has been supported 
explicitly or tacitly by SPS, SRS, and DSS.  For the last 
few days, Serbian newspapers have been running full-page 
letters from the SNC to Ambassador Polt announcing the 
rally.  Announcements have run on national television as 
well. A rumor that SRS plans a second rally on February 28 
is unconfirmed, and may be a misinterpretation of their 
plan to support the February 27 rally.  Embassy held an EAC 
on 2/23 (septel) to prepare for the demonstration, which 
MUP officials tell us could attract tens of thousands of 
supporters and will likely tie Belgrade traffic in knots 
throughout the day. 
 
 
Belgrade Diplomatic Activity 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Danish Foreign Minister visited and expressed 
Denmark's support for the Ahtisaari Plan.  Among Quint 
Ambassadors there is wide unanimity on moving ahead swiftly 
to New York and making an end.  Italian "understanding" of 
Belgrade's coalition building "angst" and blaming Ahtisaari 
is not much appreciated even by his European colleagues. 
 
POLT