VZCZCXRO9652
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0933 1801507
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291507Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1099
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1373
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000933 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PBTS KPAO SR MW YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO DOMINATES BELGRADE COE MEETING 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: Serbian President Boris Tadic and Foreign 
Minister Vuk Jeremic used their speeches at the opening 
of the 1000th meeting of the CoE Ministers' Deputies to 
reiterate the GOS' position on Kosovo, advertise recent 
cooperation with The Hague, emphasize Serbia's sincere 
commitment to continuing that cooperation, and assure the 
audience that the European Union is Serbia's future. 
Despite the support shown for Serbia's European future, 
both speeches reaffirmed the fact that no one in the DS 
camp is prepared to deviate from the DSS-driven Kosovo 
policy -- or to miss an opportunity to elucidate it.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  Conference overview: The 1000th meeting of the 
Ministers' Deputies of the Council of Europe was held at 
the Federation Palace in Belgrade, with the opening 
session on June 22. The program included a review of the 
state of democracy in Europe, the Council of Europe's 
role for the future and the process of South East 
European cooperation.  The conference was attended 
primarily by the Ministers' Deputies of Council of Europe 
members and received substantial domestic news coverage. 
 
¶3. (U) FM Jeremic's remarks were broadly in keeping with 
the DS' and GOS' focus on European integration, 
democratic values, human rights and tolerance, 
emphasizing that solid majorities of peoples of Europe 
have now rejected electing nationalist, extremist 
political parties. He emphasized Serbia's new dedication 
to full cooperation with ICTY, and identified EU 
accession as "Serbia's central strategic priority". His 
remarks closed, though, with Kosovo, warning that all the 
achievements to date hang in the balance if its status is 
not resolved.  After all the standard talking points of 
the GOS' position, he advocated for a European solution 
and concluded -- with a heavy dramatic pause -- "this 
solution cannot be independence." 
 
¶4. (U) Tadic's remarks paralleled Jeremic's, and included 
vows to cooperate with The Hague to locate and apprehend 
the remaining fugitives.  On Kosovo, Tadic asserted the 
importance of respecting Serbia's territorial integrity 
and sovereignty, and encouraged a solution that includes 
"broadest autonomy" for the province. He expressed faith 
in the European community to assist in finding such a 
solution, saying that Europe has always been able to find 
creative solutions to various conflicts, and that he 
hoped it would be so in this case as well. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: Tadic's remarks were his usual 
generally pro-Western talking points, but also toed the 
Kostunica-led line on Kosovo policy.  He emphasized his 
offer of "broadest" autonomy (slightly further than the 
usual GOS call "broad" or "substantial" autonomy, but as 
always without concrete suggestions), and again indicated 
willingness to find any status solution that keeps Kosovo 
within Serbia's borders.  Jeremic, meanwhile,  went 
further than simply adhering to the GOS party line, 
clashing with the rest of the speech's positive vision of 
European integration and supporting the FM's private 
assertions that "earning the Prime Minister's trust" is a 
priority for him.  Bottom line, both Tadic and Jeremic 
continue in lockstep with Kostunica on Kosovo, and Kosovo 
will continue to be the primary topic even for those who 
purport to be preparing Serbia for a European future. 
 
POLT