VZCZCXRO5674
PP RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNO #0111/01 0540838
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 230838Z FEB 07
FM USMISSION USNATO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0517
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA PRIORITY 0344
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA PRIORITY 3226

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USNATO 000111 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM NATO PGOV PHUM PREL SR
SUBJECT: AHTISAARI COMES TO NATO AND OUTLINES WAY FORWARD 
ON KOSOVO STATUS PROPOSAL 
 
REF: SECSTATE 18717 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On February 16, UN Special Envoy for 
Kosovo, (UNSEK) Martti Ahtisaari updated the NAC and non-NATO 
KFOR troop contributors on the Kosovo status process and his 
vision for the way forward.  Ahtisaari said that prospects 
for a negotiated settlement by both sides were exhausted. 
The only way forward, therefore was his proposed settlement 
which he presented to the parties during the February 2 
visits to Belgrade and Pristina.  Ahtisaari will begin 
consultations with the parties in Vienna on February 21, at 
which point they will be afforded one last opportunity to 
suggest changes.  Ahtisaari is planning on hosting one final 
high-level meeting of the parties in Vienna in early March, 
indicating March 10 as a likely date.  He hopes to submit his 
comprehensive package to the U.N. Security Council by the end 
of March.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (SBU) SYG:  Opening Remarks:  NATO Secretary General de 
Hoop Scheffer (SYG) said that during his February 15 trip to 
Kosovo he met with members of Kosovo,s Unity Team, including 
President Sejdiu, Prime Minister Ceku, Kosovo Serb leaders in 
Mitrovica, U.N. Special Representative for Kosovo, Joachim 
Rucker, and COMKFOR.  The SYG reiterated NATO,s full support 
for Ahtisaari and the process, while emphasizing that KFOR 
remains ready to maintain a safe and secure environment 
during the transition period.  The SYG said he stressed that 
the partition of Kosovo was not an option and that Kosovo,s 
government must stay united.  The SYG said based on his 
meetings that it was clear that the Kosovo Serbs remain 
apprehensive about the future. 
 
------------------- 
STATUS TALKS UPDATE 
------------------- 
¶3.  (SBU)  Ahtisaari outlined progress in the talks since his 
last visit in October noting that this is the third time he 
has briefed the NAC.  He again thanked the Alliance for 
KFOR,s role in providing a forceful and visible presence, 
particularly north of the Ibar River.  He hoped his proposed 
settlement could bring peace and stability to the region and 
again called on NATO*in coordination with a future EU/ESDP 
mission*to fulfill the lead role in the building of a new 
Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and the disbandment of the Kosovo 
Protection Corps (KPC).  Ahtisaari said that a negotiated 
compromise between the two parties is an illusion as both 
sides have hardened their positions.  His proposal, while not 
ideal, was realistic and reflected attempts to incorporate 
proposals by both sides.  He emphasized that two thirds of 
the document dealt with minority rights and calls for the 
continued presence of the international community until such 
time as responsibility for protection of minority rights 
could be handed over to the Kosovo authorities.  He made 
clear that following consultations by both parties in Vienna 
and a possible follow on high-level meeting between the two 
parties in early March, he intends to bring his proposal to 
the U.N. Security Council for its consideration by April 1. 
 
-------------------- 
SECURITY POST-STATUS 
-------------------- 
¶4. (SBU) Ahtisaari reiterated points he had made to the NAC 
in October on NATO,s future role post-status as the 
international military presence in Kosovo.  He stated that 
NATO and KFOR would take on the new task of building and 
training a new Kosovo Security Force that would reach initial 
operating capability within a year following the final 
settlement.  NATO would have to work closely with the 
international civilian representative and the Kosovo 
authorities to develop a formal selection process that would 
vet potential candidates for the new force.  He further said 
that NATO would have the executive authority over both the 
KSF and the KPC, including disbandment and reintegration of 
former KPC personnel back into civil society.  He called for 
a strong NATO-EU link during the transition and 
implementation phases of the settlement. 
 
--------------------------------- 
PERMREP REACTION LARGELY POSITIVE 
--------------------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) Many of the PermReps led by the Contact Group 
members, expressed support for Ahtisaari, stressing the 
importance of international unity, and emphasized the 
importance of a closer and deeper relationship between NATO 
and the EU on Kosovo.  DCM Olson delivered talking points 
(REFTEL) echoed by the U.K. and the Dutch emphasizing to the 
Council that further delay risked instability and would only 
encourage radicals on both sides as witnessed by the riots in 
Pristina on February 10.  PermReps from Bulgaria, Greece, 
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden added that they were 
 
USNATO 00000111  002 OF 002 
 
 
hopeful that the upcoming consultations in Vienna would 
enable both parties to achieve a more balanced negotiated 
agreement and that there be some flexibility in timelines 
should there be constructive progress between the two 
parties.  The Turkish and Hungarian PermReps noted the 
proposal,s text on minority rights and called on the 
international community to ensure that the Kosovo authorities 
implement the necessary standards to ensure their protection. 
 The Latvian and Georgian PermReps stressed Kosovo,s 
uniqueness and that it not be a precedent for resolution of 
other frozen conflicts. 
 
---------------- 
U.N IS NEXT STOP 
---------------- 
¶6. (SBU) In responding to PermRep,s inquiries on the process 
going forward, Ahtisaari stated that his aim is for complete 
unanimity in the Security Council on his proposal for final 
status and stressed the importance of not forgetting the 
tragic history of Kosovo and that present-day Serbia, 
although not directly responsible, cannot escape its past. 
Ahtisaari mentioned a telling ancedote:  Serbian Foreign 
Minister Vuk Draskovic complained that Serbia should not be 
punished for Milosevic's crimes; Ahtisaari replied that it 
could not be rewarded for them either. He warned of a greater 
danger of instability if there are prolonged negotiations 
stressing that the time had come for the Security Council to 
take on the responsibility.  Ahtisaari promised the Council 
that he would use all that was necessary in order to achieve 
unity in the U.N. on this issue. 
OLSON