VZCZCXRO9803
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0934/01 1801655
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291655Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1100
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1374
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BELGRADE 000934 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PBTS KPAO SR MW YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO WEEKLY UPDATE: KOSTUNICA'S "BATTLE WITH 
U.S." 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  With news of another rejection by Russia 
on a UNSC draft resolution, Prime Minister Kostunica used 
his strongest anti-U.S. rhetoric to date in reaction to the 
Ambassador's direct speech about Serbia's path to Europe. 
Kostunica cast bilateral differences over Kosovo as a 
"battle" during comments on Vitovdan (June 28), the day 
marking the battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389.  Meanwhile, 
President Tadic kept Kosovo his primary topic in meetings 
abroad, especially with Russian President Putin during an 
energy summit in Zagreb. End Summary. 
 
 
Ambassador's Speech: Let Kosovo go, join Europe 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (U) In a June 26 speech marking the 60th anniversary of 
the Mashall Plan, Ambassador Polt said that Serbia must let 
go of Kosovo and join Europe to secure a prosperous, stable 
future for its citizens.  Noting that Pristina wants 
absolute independence while Belgrade will not accept 
independence, the Ambassador said that supervised 
independence for Kosovo as proposed by the Ahtisaari plan 
is a compromise solution.  The Ambassador called the 
Ahtisaari plan a "rational" solution in the same vein as 
the Marshall Plan had been a rational response to the 
ravages of WWII, and that it was the product of over a year 
of negotiations which proved there can be no mutually 
acceptable agreement on Kosovo. 
 
 
Kostunica vs. U.S. 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Kostunica began a week of pointed anti-U.S. 
rhetoric with comments to the press that the U.S. is "the 
leader in proposing that a part of Serbia's territory 
should be made into another Albanian state," and that such 
a policy is harming bilateral relations.  He added that if 
the U.S. wants to develop good relations with Serbia, it 
"must respect its borders and territorial sovereignty." 
His party's spokesman echoed the same message, saying that 
the U.S. "bears the responsibility" of worsening relations 
with Serbia over Kosovo, and that progress in relations 
over many years is being "brought into question" over the 
issue. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Kostunica then seized on the Ambassador's June 26 
remarks in his Vitovdan remarks to Politika, saying that "a 
battle for Kosovo between Serbia and U.S." was underway. 
(Note: Europe was again spared Kostunica's barbs, as part 
of his continued effort to separate the U.S. from European 
players on Kosovo. End note.). The PM said the battle was 
"between power and justice," and that he had faith that 
Russia would prevent the UNSC from "stealing a sovereign 
country's territory." 
 
¶5. (U) Along with the Prime Minister, Radicals (SRS) and 
Socialists (SPS) also attacked the Ambassador for his 
remarks.  SRS General Secretary Vucic said that the 
Ambassador' statements were "unprecedented scandal in 
contemporary diplomatic history," and that the policy 
implemented by the U.S., Great Britain and certain EU 
countries was "raw force."  SPS leader Obradovic called the 
Ambassador's statements "additional pressure on Serbia." 
 
 
¶5. (U) In response to Kostunica's remarks, the Ambassador 
refused to join the PM's rhetoric reminding an exhausted 
Serbian public that the U.S. is Serbia's friend and has no 
intention of engaging in any kind of battle with this 
country or its citizens.  He stressed "there is no battle, 
fight or anger between the two countries; there are simply 
differences of opinions over some issues." Ambassador Polt 
added that there were many areas that Serbia and the U.S. 
agreed.  Several dailies gave positive coverage to the 
Ambassador's reaction that the U.S. is a friend of Serbia; 
the Blic daily in its editorial criticized Kostunica as 
counterproductive for his inflammatory statements. 
 
¶6. (U) With the DSS, DS, Radicals and Socialists taking the 
same stance on Kosovo, the Liberal Democrats said Kostunica 
and Tadic are pursuing the "wrong policy."  LDP leader 
Jovanovic said that Tadic and Kostunica are wrong on Kosovo 
because they have brought Serbia into a situation in which 
it is dependent on Russian interests and into a conflict 
with the U.S. and EU. 
 
 
 
BELGRADE 00000934  002 OF 003 
 
 
Tadic on cue on Kosovo 
---------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) After his speech to CoE deputies in Belgrade in 
which he called for autonomy over independence in Kosovo 
(septel), Tadic traveled to regional summits this week in 
Zagreb and Istanbul with a similar message. Over the 
weekend, in Zagreb, Tadic had a bilateral meeting with 
Russian President Putin after which Tadic said that any 
kind of independence for Kosovo is unacceptable, and that 
Serbia is ready to negotiate at any point and find a 
compromise solution.  (Note: Our contacts tell us that 
since Kostunica had only shared his "secret plan" with 
Moscow, Tadic did not have access to it and therefore did 
not discuss it at this meeting.  This may have been 
intended by Kostunica, in order to retain full control over 
Kosovo policy, especially vis-a-vis Moscow. End note.) 
 
¶8. (SBU) On June 25, at a Black Sea Economic Cooperation 
(BSEC) summit in Istanbul, Tadic said that Kosovo 
independence would jeopardize the stability of the entire 
Black Sea region and beyond.  The BSEC meeting concluded 
with Tadic reacting strongly to Albanian PM Berisha's 
statement that Kosovo was a unique case and should become 
independent.  Belgrade media gave prominent coverage to 
Tadic rebuking Berisha for being irresponsible and 
"interfering in Serbia's internal affairs" followed by 
Berisha walking out of the meeting. 
 
 
Bigger budget for Kosovo 
------------------------ 
 
¶9. (U) Serbian officials also tried to show their 
commitment to Kosovo by doubling the budget for Kosovo to 
67.5M Euros.  Deputy PM Djelic called the increase a proof 
of "the nature of Serbia's policy toward Kosovo." Kosovo 
Minister Samardzic said the increase would "finance [GOS] 
functions in Kosovo" and also show "ethnic Albanians...that 
Serbia is serious and invests in its people." Samardzic 
also said the increase should demonstrate to the 
international community that Serbia has "serious intentions 
concerning Kosovo?s financial recovery." In a separate 
interview, Djelic said that while Serbia cannot give up on 
Kosovo, it also cannot allow itself to be isolated again, 
even in the event of a unilateral declaration of 
independence by a global power. He assessed that there were 
two possible scenarios for Kosovo. "The first is 
undesirable, involving a scenario of conflict with forces 
which want independence (for Kosovo) declared no matter 
what the cost, even without support in the UNSC. The second 
scenario is one of compromise, the chances of which are 
still small, but growing." 
 
 
Diplomatic Activity 
------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) ICTY: ICTY prosecutor Del Ponte clarified this 
week her June 18 comments on Kosovo, saying she had not 
called for a delay in the status decision but instead 
simply hoped " the timing of that decision, will not affect 
current efforts to locate and arrest" ICTY indictees. This 
clarification received considerably less coverage in 
Belgrade than her original "misinterpreted" statements in 
which she called for the UNSC to delay a Kosovo status 
decision. 
 
¶11. (U) UK:  BETA reported outgoing PM Blair's message 
calling on all Kosovoars to be patient and not to resort to 
violence, but noted that the process of Kosovo independence 
is inevitable.  British Ambassador to Belgrade Wordsworth 
also said that Britain considered Kosovo's independence, in 
accordance with Ahtisaari's proposal, to be the most 
sustainable outcome of the process of status determination. 
Wordsworth said, "Kosovo will be independent, but the 
question is whether that is going to happen in a peaceful 
process based on Ahtisaari's plan and with international 
supervision and solid guarantees for minorities, or in some 
chaotic way.  I firmly believe that the other way will be 
bad for Kosovo, for Serbia and for the whole region, adding 
that Great Britain together with other UNSC members would 
continue working on the new resolution." 
 
¶12. (U) Russia: Belgrade media covered Russian Foreign 
Minister Lavrov's comments on June 23 that the allegations 
that violence would erupt in Kosovo if the province were 
denied independence are irresponsible as KFOR's mandate is 
 
BELGRADE 00000934  003 OF 003 
 
 
to prevent violence. 
 
¶13. (U) Belgium: Serbian press reported Belgian FM de 
Gucht's June 27 comments that Belgium, other countries in 
the UNSC, as well as majority of EU countries were in 
support direct negotiations for solving the status of 
Kosovo with a four month-duration and without a 
predetermined outcome.  However, he also told Serbian 
reporters that Belgrade must understand that some form of 
decision on the Kosovo status has to be made after the 
four-month period, and this was why Serbia's commitment to 
these talks is critical. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) Kostunica has clearly committed to his tactics of 
attacking the U.S. exclusively and directly in hopes of 
isolating the U.S. as the sole supporter of the Ahtisaari 
plan and supervised independence of Kosovo.  He went as far 
as to add volatile nationalism to the mix with the battle 
imagery already evoked with Vitovdan.  While it is 
heartening that media coverage of the Ambassador's direct 
contact with the Serbian publice were welcomed in some 
quarters, Kostunica can be expected to keep other leaders 
in line with his new course of anti-American rhetoric over 
Kosovo.  He wants a political battle to keep other 
political forces in line at home, with him at the front. 
Kostunica hopes he can also convince the international 
community that the U.S. is alone in calling for the 
Ahtisaari plan and supervised independence, while at least 
many Europeans and Russians agree with Belgrade on the need 
for talks without end.  Tadic and "his" ministers in the 
cabinet are taking no public steps to counter this ant- 
American propaganda. 
 
POLT