VZCZCXRO4482
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #1066/01 2081603
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271603Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1250
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1384
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 001066 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PBTS PREL PGOV SR
SUBJECT: KOSOVO WEEKLY UPDATE: BELGRADE READIES ITSELF FOR NEXT 
STEPS 
 
REF: BELGRADE 1050 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: In the last week before the typical August lull, 
Serbian leaders made sure to line up all possible political unity on 
Kosovo through a parliamentary resolution in order to be ready for 
the international community's next steps on Kosovo status 
resolution.  The Serbian Foreign Minister closed his active summer 
schedule with a visit to Washington.  In his final interviews with 
Serbian press, the Ambassador unambiguously conveyed the USG's 
continued support for Kosovo's supervised independence.  Meanwhile, 
Belgrade media and leaders are intently watching developments in the 
Contact Group which will define the structure of new status talks. 
End Summary. 
 
GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Prime Minister Kostunica declared victory this week for 
Serbia's struggle to retain Kosovo as the U.S.-EU resolution on 
Kosovo was withdrawn at the UN and as Belgrade's parliament voted 
overwhelmingly on July 24 in support of a resolution reaffirming the 
GOS' Kosovo policy (reftel).  President Tadic's DS party, along with 
the Radicals and Socialists also strongly supported the measure. At 
a July 26 event celebrating 15 years of his DSS party, the PM said 
that Serbia must focus "all of its effort" towards its Kosovo policy 
and that "the future of [Serbia] is on the line."  He also said that 
a united Serbian position on Kosovo is "of utmost importance" and 
that such unity was show by the passage of the parliamentary 
resolution. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Serbian FM Jeremic left July 25 for a two-day visit to the 
U.S. to meet with the Secretary, National Security Advisor Hadley 
and Congressional leaders to discuss Kosovo.  Jeremic stated that 
the priority in his visit would be to "reduce tensions" in bilateral 
relations and to reinforce U.S and Serbian shared interests on a 
large number of issues. 
 
REPORTED USG STATEMENTS 
----------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) The Ambassador's gave his final press interviews with several 
media outlets and conveyed an unambiguous message that the U.S. was 
committed to partnership with Serbia as well as supervised 
independence for Kosovo. In a July 23 interview with Novi Sad's 
Gradajanski List, the Ambassador reiterated that Kosovo is a unique 
case and not a precedent that would cause a "domino effect" in other 
crisis areas around the world.  He also said that keeping the Kosovo 
issue unresolved has prevented Serbia, Kosovo and the entire region 
from making progress. The Ambassador said directly that Kosovo would 
have supervised independence status by the end of the year and 
assessed that such an outcome, no matter how distressful, would lead 
to a stronger and more successful Serbia. 
 
¶5. (U) In an interview with the daily Blic on July 25, the 
Ambassador said that a new resolution on Kosovo is not possible in 
the UNSC because Russia, on behalf of Serbia, despite many revised 
draft resolutions, blocked the process.   He stressed that "status 
has to be resolved and if that would not be possible in the UNSC, we 
will find another way to reach a solution."  Commenting on the new 
Belgrade-Pristina negotiations on Kosovo, the Ambassador expressed 
his belief that there will not be any change in the positions of 
both sides. 
 
¶6. (U) In his final interview with B92, the Ambassador said that the 
new round of negotiations will mark the end of Kosovo's status 
settlement process.  The Ambassador noted that a resolution through 
the UNSC was desirable but not the only available option, as some 
Serbian leaders are asserting.  He also said that Washington did not 
believe that the new talks would be useful but agreed to participate 
in a new attempt to bring the debate to an end.  Kosovo Minister 
Samardzic criticized the Ambassador for an "unseemly farewell" and 
for "meddling in its internal affairs."  Samardzic said the 
Ambassador is "disappointed" that his host country "has not lost 15% 
of its territory." 
 
DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY 
------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Russia:  Reuters reported that Russian President Putin said 
on July 27 "the people of Serbia are defending their sovereignty and 
territorial integrity" over Kosovo and that European peace and 
stability are only possible by "taking into account the fundamental 
principles of international law." 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment:  Kostunica used the last week before Serbia enters 
the doldrums of August to declare victory that there will be no new 
UNSC resolution and that a vast majority of parliament committed 
itself to his Kosovo policy.  Belgrade will now wait for the Contact 
 
BELGRADE 00001066  002 OF 002 
 
 
Group to produce a structure and will then decide, based on the 
stipulations made in the parliamentary resolution (no deadlines, no 
Ahtisaari, and under UNSC auspices), how (or if) to engage.  End 
Comment. 
 
POLT