VZCZCXRO1954
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSL #0199/01 0921514
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 021514Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0819
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE IMMEDIATE 0088
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0110
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA IMMEDIATE 0058

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000199 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC SR KO LO
SUBJECT: KUBIS CLAIMS SLOVAKIA STILL WITH EU WHEN KOSOVO 
GETS TO UNSC, BUT DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT NEGATIVE 
 
REF: A. (A) BELGRADE 00435 
 
     ¶B. (B) BRATISLAVA 00190 
 
Classified By: CDA Lawrence Silverman, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: FM Jan Kubis continues to insist publicly 
that Slovakia's priority in the Balkans is to give Serbia a 
European perspective and that Slovakia will be with the EU in 
the UNSC, but demurs from responding publicly to direct 
questions about how Slovakia will vote on Kosovo (as it 
appears Kubis told A/S Fried by telephone April 2). Political 
Director Miroslav Lajcak (please protect) told CDA privately 
that Slovakia will vote in favour of Ahtisaari's plan at the 
UNSC, and that Kubis expects the vote will lead to a 
no-confidence vote on him in Parliament (as he mentioned to 
Amb. Polt, ref A). According to Lajcak, the FM reasons it 
will be better to face the no-confidence vote after a UNSC 
vote than before, so he continues to take a wait-and-see 
attitude towards Ahtisaari's plan when asked publicly. We 
urged Lajcak to ask FM Kubis to brief non-permanent members 
such as South Africa on this stance, to correct any 
impressions created by the parliamentary vote here. Lajcak 
heard from Russia's Ambassador to Belgrade Moscow's concerns 
about using a veto, but Lajcak thinks Moscow is heading in 
that direction. Slovakia's speaking points for the April 3 
UNSC, as provided by Lajcak, follow in paragraph 5. Lajcak 
thought Slovakia's delegation would avoid talking to the 
media after the meeting, given the difficult environment back 
here. End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Speaking to a conference on "Change and Continuity in 
Slovak Foreign Policy," Kubis did not answer a direct 
question about how Slovakia would vote if Ahtisaari's plan 
came up for a vote today, but said Slovakia would work 
cooperatively and constructively with EU partner countries in 
the UNSC. Asked about press reports of Slovakia's stance at 
the Gymnich, Kubis said it was true that Slovakia could not 
express its support for the plan now, but stated that German 
FM Steinmeier's summary of the meeting was the only statement 
that was truly authoritative on the EU (including Slovakia's) 
stance. (Ref A) 
 
¶3. (C) CDA requested Lajcak to have FM Kubis and the Slovak 
mission to UN to approach other countries, especially 
Indonesia and South Africa, to reiterate Slovakia's suppoort 
for an EU consensus in the UNSC, in order to be sure they 
understand the distinction between the position of the Slovak 
Parliament and the position the Slovak government will take 
in the UNSC. Lajcak agreed this would be a good idea and said 
he would speak with PermRep Burian. 
 
¶4. (C) We raised with Lajcak PM Fico's reported remarks to 
the media March 31 that Slovakia will support the UNSC 
resolution on the future status of Kosovo if Slovak inputs to 
the UNSCR are included. This is consistent with Kubis's March 
28 message to the Ambassador that Slovakia would submit 
specific suggestions for the UNSCR (ref B). Nonetheless, 
Lajcak told CDA April 2 that Slovakia now does not have 
specific suggestions to make, and that saying it does is 
mostly intended as a sop to domestic public opinion. That 
said, any language in the resolution or in statements 
surrounding it that referred to the "sui generis" nature of 
the Kosovo solution would be useful in Slovakia (Comment: We 
understand Kubis also made this point to A/S Fried by 
telephone April 2).  Lajcak said that Kubis had been unhappy 
with him for allowing the NATO SYG to announce consensus in 
support for Ahtisaari's plan, but Lajcak stood his ground. 
In the end, Lajcak said, Kubis accepted that it was better 
than to have had the NATO SYG be put in a position where he 
would have had to list specific reservations of Member 
States. Lajcak said he was not happy with PM Fico's remarks 
that FM Kubis "would have to work hard at the UNSC," but had 
not had a chance to hear what Kubis thought of them.  He 
still thought Kubis believed he had sufficient support from 
the PM to vote yes. 
 
SLOVAKIA'S SPEAKING POINTS FOR APRIL 3, UNSC 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Lajcak provided us the following text to be used by 
Amb. Burian in the April 3 meeting: 
 
Begin text. 
 
"UN Security Council Speaking Points, April 3, 2007 
- we take note of the proposal and recommendations of the 
Special Envoy of the UN SG Martti Ahtisaari; 
- we acknowledge with appreciation the clarity of the 
position of the UN Secretary General when he transmitted the 
 
BRATISLAVA 00000199  002 OF 002 
 
 
proposal and recommendations to the SC; 
- we welcome the opening of the negotiations at the Security 
Council on the P R as well as on a new UNSC resolution on 
Kosovo on this basis; that resolution will have to take into 
account legitimate interests of Belgrade and Pristina; 
- the issue of Kosovo requires an urgent attention of the 
UNSC and a speedy adoption of a clear UNSC resolution that 
will reflect the objective reality, will provide the 
necessary legal basis for a future engagement of the 
international community, including the EU and NATO, and will 
prevent the risk of a vacuum as well as temptation to take 
unilateral action from any side; 
- such unilateral action cannot provide a legal basis for 
inter alia any future EU action, be it legal, political, or 
operational; 
- a solution of the status of Kosovo will have to have a 
potential to contribute to the strengthening of stability, 
prosperity, international and regional security, and to the 
fulfillment of the European integration objective for all the 
countries of the region; 
- any solution of the Kosovo status question will have to be 
recognized as a sui generis one that will not constitute a 
legal precedent, notably with regard to territorial integrity 
and inviolability of borders in Europe and elsewhere, 
especially when issues of minorities are present; this 
position should be reflected in the UNSC resolution. 
- during the discussions on the UNSC resolution, Slovakia 
will support all proposals that will bring the process of the 
determination of the future status of Kosovo closer to a 
mutually acceptable solution; 
- there is no reason to believe that future direct 
negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina could lead to a 
mutually acceptable solution; 
- we support and appreciate the guiding and leading role and 
responsibility the Contact Group has had in the process of 
searching for a future status of Kosovo. 
- the significance of the work of the CG for a successful 
solution of the Kosovo status issue will increase in the 
coming period. We therefore urge the CG to make all the 
effort to renew its previously existing unity of opinion and 
position which is an important precondition for a successful 
adoption of the UNSC decision on a future status of Kosovo 
and for its implementation; 
- the Slovak Parliament expects that the Government of 
Slovakia will engage in searching for a common solution of 
the future arrangements in the Western Balkans in cooperation 
with other member states of the EU and with a clear 
perspective of integration of the countries of the WB into 
the EU; 
- during the negotiations at the UN SC, Slovakian will act in 
close cooperation and unity with other EU member states 
having in mind that the EU is called upon to play a key role 
in Kosovo and in the region after the decision on the future 
status of Kosovo will have been taken." 
 
End text. 
SILVERMAN