VZCZCXYZ0003
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSL #0190/01 0871651
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 281651Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0810
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 0086
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0108
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA PRIORITY 0056

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000190 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC EU KOC YI LO
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA TO JOIN EUROPEAN UNITY ON KOSOVO, BUT 
ONLY IN THE UNSC 
 
REF: BRATISLAVA 187 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee 
 
¶1. (C) Summary/Comment: After two days of over-heated debate 
on Kosovo, Parliament resoundlingly passed a resolution that, 
while containing nationalistic language, expresses the 
expectation that the GOS ultimately will seek a joint 
solution for the future of the Western Balkans together with 
other EU member states.  FM Jan Kubis told the Ambassador 
that after the performances in parliament, he simply cannot 
issue a strong public statement of support for the Ahtisaari 
plan, and would seek to avoid a common EU position in the 
GAERC.  Rather, he believes it is more important to focus 
energy on uniting the European members of the UNSC.  Kubis 
would like Slovakia to be brought into the drafting process 
for a UNSCR as soon as possible; the GOS will propose 
specific language to the U.S. and USUN the week of April 2. 
Kubis feels politically isolated, but still believes he has a 
mandate from Prime Mininster Fico to join any European 
consensus at the UNSC in favor of Ahtisaari's proposal.  End 
summary/commment. 
 
Parliament Approves Kosovo Resolution 
------------------------------------- 
¶2. (C) After two full days of debate in which MPs competed to 
prove which of them was the most stridently nationalist, 
Parliament voted to pass a non-binding resolution on Kosovo. 
In order to reach consensus across coalition-opposition 
lines, previous language criticizing the 1999 airstrikes and 
expressing the view that Kosovo should not be a precedent for 
international law were removed (reftel).  Language was added 
to a preambular clause that called for the final status of 
Kosovo to be based on respect for the UN Charter and other 
international legal norms, "as well as legitimate requests of 
Serbia."  123 out of 142 MPs present voted for the 
resolution; 19 abstained. 
 
What It Means: Kubis on a Tightrope, but Supportive in UNSC 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador met with FM Jan Kubis early March 28, 
when it was already clear how the debate would end.  Kubis 
told the Ambassador he is on thin ice; there is no way the 
GOS will be able to make a public statement in support of the 
Ahtisaari plan at the April 3 UNSC meeting -- just a week 
after the raging emotional performances in parliament. 
Nonetheless, he stressed that the operative language of the 
resolution expressed parliament's expectation that the GOS 
will seek a solution for Kosovo together with other EU member 
states.  (Comment: This paragraph remained unchanged from 
draft included in reftel.  Indeed, in his attempt to recruit 
members of the SNS, opposition leader Mikulas Dzurinda 
claimed during the debate that the original draft could allow 
the GOS to support Ahtisaari.  End Comment)  Kubis said he 
would work to avoid a common EU statement on Kosovo at the 
next GAERC meeting.  Rather, he wants to concentrate efforts 
to build "EU consensus" among European members of the UN 
Security Council.  He plans to advocate this idea at a 
meeting of EU UNSC members with U.S. representative before 
GAERC.  (Comment: The German Ambassador was disappointed by 
this stance, assuming Chancellor Merkel's strategy would be 
to push for wide EU consensus.  We also informed our British 
colleagues of Kubis's planned approach.) 
 
¶4. (C) Despite his reluctance to speak out publicly, Kubis 
told the Ambassador he has already informed Serb leaders 
Tadic and Kostunica, as well as the Indonesian foreign 
minister, that Slovakia will be in sync with the other EU 
members on the UNSC.  Kubis is prepared to travel to 
Washington and NY during the April 16-20 timeframe to give 
the same message to Secretary Rice and other UNSC members. 
Kubis is convinced that he still has PM Fico's commitment to 
vote at the UNSC in line with other Europeans in support of 
Ahtisaari.  He said that Slovakia's statement April 3 will be 
"neutral," reflecting the fundamentals of the MFA's 3/27 
statement (reftel).  We will stress the importance of 
declaring support for Ahtisaari in the closed consultations. 
 
Drafting a UNSCR: Slovak Request 
-------------------------------- 
¶5. (C) Kubis requested that Slovakia be brought into the 
drafting process for a UNSCR as soon as possible.  He said he 
would pass some suggestions both to the Embassy and to Slovak 
PermRep Burian the week of April 2.  The Slovaks would like 
to include language stating that Kosovo shall not be a 
precedent.  Kubis's chef de cabinet told us Slovakia would 
also like to propose language regarding implementation of the 
protections for minority communities and cultural sites per 
the Ahtisaari plan.  This language would give the Serbs more 
 
confidence/comfort in accepting final status.  (Note: We will 
forward the proposals immediately upon receipt.  Kubis was 
not more specific at this time.) 
 
Comment: 
------- 
¶6. (C) Kubis certainly has the right to be nervous after the 
parliamentary debate.  A week ago, he believed he had Fico's 
full support and that Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paska (of 
Fico's Smer party) had drafted a resolution that would allow 
him free rein to act on Kosovo.  But after Fico's meeting 
with his coalition partners, much harsher language emerged 
and Kubis ended up politically isolated.  Nonetheless, he 
repeated several times that he retains Fico's support to vote 
for a UNSCR, and that Paska "knows where we have to be."  He 
continued to focus on the bottom line of the resolution, that 
Slovakia would act in conjunction with EU members.  We, like 
Kubis, are eager to put the parliamentary debate behind us 
and help the Slovaks through the next steps at the UNSC. 
VALLEE