VZCZCXRO6481
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0858/01 1661309
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151309Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1020
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1358
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000858 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PBTS KPAO SR MW YI
SUBJECT: THE PRESIDENT ON KOSOVO STATUS: KOSOVO WEEKLY 
UPDATE (6/11-6/15) 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  In the wake of the President's visit to 
the region and direct statements on the need to move 
towards independence for Kosovo, post sustained an 
aggressive public campaign to reinforce the President's 
comments.  The Ambassador's public comments this week 
countered Serbian officials' triumphalism over failure of 
the Ahtisaari Plan that continued unabated after Prime 
Minister Kostunica's sharp response to the President's 
comments and his own meeting with Russian President Putin 
in St. Petersburg.  Kostunica's response to the President 
sparked several days of public exchange between GOS 
officials and the Ambassador. Other major Serbian figures, 
including President Tadic, continue in lockstep with 
Kostunica on Kosovo and are uniformly entrenching against 
international recognition of Kosovo -- especially by the 
USG -- without a UNSC resolution.  End Summary. 
 
 
Kostunica Reacts Strongly to President's Comments 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (U) The President's direct comments during his visit to 
Europe on the need for Kosovo independence attracted 
widespread attention in Belgrade and drew a strong response 
from Prime Minister Kostunica.  All Belgrade media 
prominently reported the President's Kosovo-related 
comments in Rome, Tirana and Sofia with particular 
attention to his statement that the USG "will have to say - 
- it's enough, Kosovo is independent." 
 
¶3. (U) Kostunica, fresh from a meeting with Russian 
President Putin in St. Petersburg, said that Serbs will 
"never forgive" the United States if it gives their Kosovo 
province to Kosovo Albanians and that Serbia was 
"justifiably disgusted" by USG policy.  According to 
Reuters, Kostunica said "the U.S. has a right to support 
certain states and peoples in accordance with its 
interests, but not by making them a present of something 
which doesn't belong to it." 
 
¶4. (U) In even stronger language, Kostunica called the 
"U.S. bombing of Serbia" -- not NATO -- "a big enough 
mistake for last century and this one as well," and that 
"supporting one-sided independence for Kosovo would be a 
fresh mistake, a further act of unjustified violence, which 
would not be forgotten by the Serbian people." "If America 
wants to ignore international law," Kostunica warned, 
"Serbia will reject and dismiss any form of independence 
for its southern province." Finally, Kostunica said, "The 
United States has to find some other way to express its 
love and affection for the Albanians instead of giving them 
Serbian territory as a present." 
 
¶5. (U) FM Jeremic was not as pointed, but took the 
opportunity to call the President's comments as having "the 
aim of strengthening the U.S. negotiating position ahead of 
a forthcoming Security Council debate, where his country 
has a very strong standing. Our position is opposed to that 
[stance], as are the positions of some other council 
members, not only those with the right of veto." 
 
¶6. (U) In response, the Ambassador conveyed disappointment 
at the GOS' harsh rhetoric.  Serbian media gave wide 
coverage to the Ambassador's 6/13 statement during which he 
explained that the U.S. has never used such rhetoric when 
it comes to Serbia, and that the U.S. respects Serbia and 
it's position on Kosovo, though the U.S. simply does not 
agree with it.  The Ambassador noted that despite his 
disappointment with certain Serbian officials, bilateral 
should not suffer as a result. 
 
¶7. (U) After a public event at a local high school on 6/14 
during which the Ambassador was asked several questions 
about Kosovo, Education Minister (and DSS member) Zoran 
Loncar, accused the Ambassador of "unusual behavior." 
Loncar, mischaracterizing the situation, said it was 
"outside diplomatic standards" for ambassadors of foreign 
countries to address high school students with "political 
speeches, particularly on issues related to Kosovo."  Among 
the most notable comments by the group of High School 
students the Ambassador addressed was the acknowledgment 
that one could be a Serbian patriot and concede that Serbia 
was going to become independent. 
 
¶8. (U) On 6/15, Belgrade media reported the Ambassador's 
further comments to the press that there can be no other 
solution apart from supervised independence for the future 
status of Kosovo and that the U.S. and European partners 
have made it clear that there can be no compromise on this 
 
BELGRADE 00000858  002 OF 002 
 
 
issue.  The Ambassador rejected reports of Russian 
criticism of the recent U.S., UK, German, French, and 
Italian meeting in Paris on the subject of Kosovo. He 
explained that this had obviously not been a CG meeting, 
since Russia did not attend, but simply a meeting of 
countries working together on finding a solution for the 
Kosovo status, and determining how to coordinate with 
Russia on finding a solution for adopting a UNSC 
resolution. 
 
¶9. (U) Belgrade media also focused on U/S Burns and A/S 
Fried's comments on Kosovo while in Europe.  The media 
reported U/S Burns as saying in Athens that the Ahtisaari 
plan is the only possible solution in Kosovo and that the 
USG will continue to engage UNSC members on the issue.  The 
press also reported that Burns said Europe and the USG 
should remain united and work to convince Russia that 
independence was the only way forward.  Serbian news agency 
Tanjug reported on 6/13 that A/S Fried reiterated that 
Kosovo is a unique case that could not be applied to other 
regions. 
 
¶10. (U) Returning from Brussels after attending a meeting 
of NATO and PfP ministers, Defense Minister Sutanovac chose 
to raise Kosovo in noting that Serbia will never accept 
Kosovo's independence, nor will it give up Euro-Atlantic 
values.  Like Kostunica, he reiterated that the Kosovo 
status settlement must respect Serbia's territorial 
integrity and sovereignty while allowing citizens of 
Albanian nationality in Kosovo to achieve all their 
justifiable demand for self-rule. 
 
 
Other Diplomatic Activity 
------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) Belgrade media noted the arrival in quick 
succession of three of the Contact Group nations' 
representatives to Kosovo on 6/15.  B92 noted that 
Ambassador Wisner, British European Affairs Director 
Anthony Smith, and Italian Foreign Minister D'Alema arrived 
in Pristina within a day of each other.  D'Alema will have 
meetings with Serbian leaders in Belgrade on 6/15. 
 
¶12. (U) EU: All media reported that the EC reiterated that 
the decision on the future status of Kosovo must be made at 
the UNSC, and that it should be based on Ahtisaari's plan. 
Addressing a news conference in Brussels, spokesperson for 
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn refused, however, 
to elaborate on President Bush's statement in Tirana that 
Kosovo would be independent. B92 did note Rehn's comment 
about Serbia's relationship with Russia, reporting his 
quote that "it is important to recall that one has to be 
careful that when hugging even a friendly big bear, one 
wouldn't be suffocated." 
 
¶13. (U) NATO: Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples 
Admiral Henry Ulrich arrived in Belgrade on 6/15 for a day 
of meetings with Serbian officials.  Admiral Ulrich met 
with the Ambassador before meetings with the PM, President, 
FM, Defense Minister and CHOD Ponos.  Admiral Ulrich will 
release a public statement through the NATO liaison office 
in Belgrade later in the day. 
 
¶14. (U) Germany: Vecernje Novosti reported on 6/15 that 
German FM Steinmeier said that Kosovo status would not be 
resolved until July due to Putin's visit to the U.S. 
Steinmeier also noted the difficulty of maintaining EU 
unity on Kosovo and stressed that EU unity would suffer if 
there is unilateral recognition of without a UNSC 
resolution. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Comment: Kostunica's direct and angry response to 
the President represents a concerted shift in GOS strategy 
from attacking the UN process and Ahtisaari to solely 
holding "U.S. policy" accountable for the push for Kosovo 
independence.  Our European colleagues are spared as 
Kostunica -- already revitalized from his talks with Putin 
-- hopes to pare the other Contact Group members away from 
their avowed commitment to a swift UNSC resolution based on 
the Ahtisaari plan.  Tadic, Jeremic and the rest of 
coalition members should not be expected to resist this new 
tack.  End Comment. 
 
 
POLT