VZCZCXRO4458
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0897/01 1760634
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 250634Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1057
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1363
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000897 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PBTS KPAO SR MW YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO WEEKLY UPDATE: STATUS DELAY GAMES 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Serbian officials, confident that a Kosovo status 
decision will be delayed considerably, augmented diplomatic 
overtures to Russia and European countries with the aim of isolating 
the USG in the push for independence.  The GOS reacted quickly to 
the new draft UNSC resolution by echoing Russia's opposition and 
calling on its drafters to withdraw the resolution.  The GOS 
indicated it had drafted a new Kosovo plan for Russia in advance of 
the President's summit with Russian President Putin in 
Kennebunkport.  The GOS has refused to reveal any details either to 
the media or through our diplomatic requests, with Kosovo Minister 
Samardzic saying only the plan reflects that "it is very important 
[for Serbia] to have the process restart in the right way." 
Samardzic also assessed that Pristina would only be willing to 
engage in new talks with "encouragement from the United States." The 
Ambassador, in comments to the press, lamented the utter lack of 
realism in the GOS approach and reminded Belgrade that the current 
UNSCR draft was a final opportunity for additional input into the 
Ahtisaari Plan.  End Summary. 
 
GOS strategy: delay through more talks 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Belgrade focused its efforts this week on securing more 
international support for a delay on a status decision, attacking 
the draft UNSC resolution and renewing a call for fresh talks with 
Pristina.  The GOS also revealed it drafted a new Kosovo plan for 
the Russians, but would not come forward with any details. 
 
¶3. (U)  On 6/19, after bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers 
of France, Portugal, Slovenia and the Netherlands, Deputy PM Djelic 
told Serbian media that he assessed "growing support" for further 
negotiations on Kosovo.  Similarly, on a visit to Greece, FM Jeremic 
said on 6/20 that Athens also supports more talks "without 
conditions." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Serbian leaders seized on ICTY prosecutor Carla Del Ponte's 
support for a delay in Kosovo status resolution.  Rather than the 
usual denouncement of international representatives for overstepping 
their mandate in discussing Kosovo status, GOS officials here 
defended Del Ponte's statements.  ICTY Cooperation Chair Rasim 
Ljajic said on 6/20 that Del Ponte was "entitled to point out to the 
UNSC anything that could contribute to Serbia's cooperation with 
ICTY."  Ljajic also told reporters that Serbia believes Del Ponte's 
obligation was "to provide conditions" for cooperation with ICTY - 
implying that in such a context her remarks were within her 
authority.  (Note: This is a disappointing but unsurprising 
assessment from a government that previously lambasted Del Ponte for 
calling on the EU to stall SAA talks due to lack of cooperation with 
ICTY. End note.) 
 
 
PM attacks draft UNSCR, offers plan to Russians 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5. (U) Even before the new draft UNSCR was tabled at in New York; a 
GOS attack on "predetermined negotiations" had been underway since 
Sarkozy's original announcement at the end of the G8 Summit.  On 
6/19, PM spokesperson Srdjan Djuric rejected a call for more talks 
with the automatic result of Kosovo independence at the end as 
unacceptable to Serbia.  Djuric reiterated Serbia's call for "real 
negotiations and instead of political force."  Belgrade heightened 
attacks on the idea after the formal submission of the new draft 
UNSCR on 6/20 and Russia's subsequent rejection.  Building on 
Russian PermRep Churkin's assessment of the draft as "unacceptable", 
Djuric said on 6/21 that the GOS welcomed Russia's decision as a 
"continuation of principal policy and cooperation between Belgrade 
and Moscow based on the respect of the international law and UN 
Charter." 
 
¶6. (U) In an official statement released on 6/21, Kostunica called 
on "Western nations" to withdraw the draft UNSCR because it "robs" 
Serbia of its territory and violates the UN Charter.   Kostunica 
also assessed that any draft resolution based on the implementation 
of Ahtissari's plan that was "doomed" and would not pass the UNSC. 
Referring to the Serbian parliament's appeal to the UN 
Secretary-General for more talks, Kostunica said that "there has 
 
SIPDIS 
been no explanation...why negotiations were severed or why new and 
substantial talks on Kosovo have not been launched pursuant to 
Belgrade's initiative."  Kosovo Minister Samardzic told the press 
that it would be incumbent on the USG to "encourage" the Kosovo 
Albanians to participate in new discussions. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Kosovo Minister Samardzic confirmed on 6/21 that the GOS 
had drafted a new plan for Kosovo and submitted it to the Russians, 
but refused to reveal its contents.  Samardzic told reporters on 
6/21 that he gave Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Alekseev a 
document presenting Serbia's proposals for further negotiations. 
He said only that the document draws from Serbia's national platform 
on Kosovo status (a wide autonomy plan). Samardzic added that Putin 
 
BELGRADE 00000897  002 OF 002 
 
 
could use the document in his discussions with the President in 
their upcoming Kennebunkport summit in early July.  When pressed by 
reporters on the document's content, Samardzic said that he "cannot 
discuss the content...it is [secret] in terms of form" but the 
"purpose of the document is to stimulate the Russian side and brief 
them on our ideas and positions." He added that the document 
includes specific proposals regarding "negotiation procedure" and 
that Serbia wants a quick restart to talks in the "direction of 
compromise."  Official Embassy requests to the Kosovo Ministry have 
thus far been refused, but we understand informally that the 
so-called new plan is little more that a reiteration of "substantial 
autonomy." 
 
¶8. (U) Serbian parliament Speaker Oliver Dulic expressed 
dissatisfaction on 6/21 over the GOS' refusal to share the plan. 
Dulic said that he was "impatiently waiting for the negotiating team 
or the Ministry for Kosovo to give some kind of document" for MPs to 
study and respond to.  He stressed that it was "very important that 
the MPs should be informed about the situation in Kosovo and 
progress in our negotiations and our present situation." 
 
 
Diplomatic Activity 
------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Denmark: Belgrade wires reported on 6/18 that Danish Defense 
Minister Gade said, during his visit to Kosovo, that the process of 
determining the future status of Kosovo had been postponed. 
 
¶10. (U) Russia: According to local press reports, Serbian President 
Tadic and Putin will meet on June 24 in Zagreb as Croatia at the 
Southeast European Energy Summit. 
 
¶11. (U) Slovenia:  Serbian media reported Slovenian FM Rupel's 
comments that decision on Kosovo status might be postponed until 
Slovenia's EU chairmanship in 2008.  He said that he would propose 
postponing the Kosovo solution by several months due to disagreement 
among UNSC members.  He added that the international community could 
use the postponement to make adjustments toward improving the 
position of Serbs in Kosovo while not going against the province's 
independence. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Belgrade is triumphant with the change of tone among 
internationals from uniform insistence on a speedy resolution of 
Kosovo status to an increasing call for delay and more talks.  The 
GOS is eagerly shaping new European calls for fresh talks -- along 
with what they consider unshakable Russian support -- into a sense 
of inevitable victory of Serbia's Kosovo policy and the death of the 
Ahtisaari Plan.  Kostunica and his deputies' tone has evolved 
slightly vis-`-vis the USG, adding to outright attacks on our policy 
the brokering of an understanding between us and the Russians that 
more talks are needed, and that we are responsible for delivering 
the Kosovo Albanians.  Kostunica has found an ally in this in 
Foreign Minister Jeremic, who keeps lamenting that Kosovo is now a 
"big power" issue, in which an innocent Serbia is squeezed -- 
through no action of its own -- between the titans.  Meanwhile, 
Belgrade is relishing the intrigue around its "secret plan" for the 
Russians to use at the titans' encounter in July. 
 
POLT