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OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPS #0544/01 1940947
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 130947Z JUL 07
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7529
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1223
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY
RHFMISS/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUFOANA/USNIC PRISTINA SR PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000544 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/RPM, SCRS, INL, AND S/WCI, NSC FOR 
BRAUN, USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2017 
TAGS: KJUS MARR PGOV PINS PREL YI KCRS UNMIK
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: SECURITY WORKING GROUPS SLOWLY LEAVE THE 
STARTING GATE 
 
REF: PRISTINA 273 
 
Classified By: Chief of Mission Tina Kaidanow for reasons 1.4 (B) and ( 
D). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  The sub-Working Groups on Kosovo Protection 
Corps (KPC) Issues and Security Institutions, two of the six 
sub-Working Groups (sub-WGs) created by the Working Group on 
Security (WGS) to carry out its mandate to plan for 
implementation of Annex VIII of the Ahtisaari final status 
package, have slowly gained momentum.  Their stand-up was 
initially delayed due to political sensitivities, but both 
have now held four meetings, laid out detailed timelines and 
tasks to be completed, and begun to make progress on 
substance, such as drafting the structure for the Ministry of 
the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and laying out budget 
requirements.  Input from Kosovo institutions and actors has 
been limited, reducing the value of the working group to NATO 
planners.  Planning would be more effective if NATO had a 
permanent team in Kosovo to work on the transition.  Critical 
tasks remain, including drafting legislation on the new 
security institutions and on an early retirement package for 
KPC members, agreeing upon oversight bodies, negotiating 
budgets, and securing a plan for dissolving the KPC.  Until 
further progress is made, donors will not be able to 
determine the appropriate scope and focus of assistance to 
the new security institutions.  End Summary. 
 
SENSITIVE POLITICAL NATURE OF MANDATE INITIALLY DELAYS WORK 
 
¶2. (C) Sensitivities within NATO, the planning team for the 
proposed International Civilian Organization (ICO) and the 
Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) initially 
delayed the start of the Working Group on Security (WGS). 
The main concern was that planning for a "Ministry of 
Defense" and an "army" would be seen as pre-judging final 
status and counterproductive to the ongoing discussions at 
the UN.  NATO caveats its current role in the WGS as falling 
under the rubric of "prudent military planning," underscoring 
that its guidance is to keep moving forward until member 
states voice opposition.  Since May, the sub-WGs on Security 
Institutions and KPC Issues began meeting more frequently and 
with increased intensity.  Restrictions on outreach to 
Kosovar actors and institutions because of political 
sensitivity, however, continue to make soliciting 
comprehensive feedback or input on NATO drafts difficult. 
According to NATO staff, only NATO action officers currently 
have permission to liaise with counterparts in local 
institutions on transition planning issues outside of the 
sub-WGs, and since none of the staff assigned to work on the 
transition planning are permanently located in Kosovo, even 
those opportunities are limited. 
 
STANDING UP THE SUB-WORKING GROUPS ON KPC ISSUES AND SECURITY 
INSTITUTIONS 
 
¶3. (C) The sub-WG on KPC issues is chaired by Major General 
Matthew Sykes (UK), the KPC Coordinator heading UNMIK's 
Office of the KPC Coordinator (OKPCC), with members from 
NATO, UNDP, OSCE, ICO, EUPT, UNMIK, PISG, and the Unity Team. 
(Note: The sub-WG chairmanship is planned to transfer to NATO 
following adoption of a UN Security Council Resolution.) The 
mandate of the sub-WG is to develop a coordinated and 
integrated plan for "the successful dissolution of the KPC 
with dignity," including legislation and regulations, 
management of serving and retired KPC personnel (including a 
demobilization and reintegration process), transfer and/or 
disposal of KPC assets, budget and finances, international 
assistance, and a public information campaign. 
 
¶4. (C) The sub-WG on Security Institutions is chaired by 
Brigadier General Skodowski (Germany) from NATO, Joint Forces 
Command (JFC) Naples, with members from the ICO, the PISG, 
the Unity Team, OSCE, UNMIK, KPC, EUPT, NATO HQ and UNDP. 
The mandate of the sub-WG is to produce an action plan 
addressing the requirements for the successful establishment 
of a KSF and a civilian-led organization of the Government to 
 
PRISTINA 00000544  002 OF 003 
 
 
exercise civilian control over it. The plan will include 
legislation and regulations, recruitment, screening, and 
selection of personnel, training and capacity-building, 
resources, budget and finances, public information campaign, 
international assistance, and confidence-building measures. 
 
STRONG LEADERSHIP FROM UNMIK OKPCC, NATO AND ICO; WEAK VOICE 
FOR THE PISG 
 
¶5. (C) General Sykes is an able leader of the sub-WG on KPC 
issues, whose office has a long history with the KPC and 
wants to maintain an active, influential role in the 
transition to the KSF.  NATO chairmanship of the sub-WG on 
Security Institutions has been less consistent, since General 
Skodowski and the lead planner from NATO HQ were unable to 
attend the last two meetings.  Frank Neisse, who covers 
security issues for the ICO planning team and sits on both 
sub-WGs, has been effective at proactively playing the 
envisioned future ICO role of implementing the Ahtisaari 
package and stepping in when the sub-WG strays beyond its 
mandate and authorities.  The key participant from the PISG 
on both sub-WGs, Rame Arifaj, is the Security Advisor to the 
Prime Minister.  His main contributions to date relate to 
government revisions of the Early Retirement Law for the KPC. 
 His limited voice is indicative of the relative lack of 
experience and expertise in military issues within the PISG, 
and the decision not to grant a seat on the sub-WGs to the 
KPC.  As a result, the working group has been dominated by 
the voices of international actors, including NATO, UNMIK 
OKPCC, EUPT, ICO, the OSCE and UNDP. 
 
CONFUSION OVER WHETHER UNMIK OKPCC OR NATO LEADS 
 
¶6. (C) There has been some confusion in both sub-WGs and the 
WGS over who has the policy lead for the international 
community on transition issues, since the OKPCC has the 
present day lead under UNMIK's mandate, but under the 
Ahtisaari proposal NATO will have the mandated lead 
post-status as the International Military Presence (IMP). 
For example, the budget submission for the Ministry and KSF 
was drafted earlier this spring by OKPCC to respond to a 
tasking from the Ministry of Finance and the Economy (MFE); 
but now NATO has also completed its own budget proposal.  At 
the June 27 WGS meeting, Arifaj stated that the Office of the 
Prime Minister viewed the OKPCC as having the lead in 
standing up the new Ministry and the KSF; NATO 
representatives strongly asserted otherwise.  The potential 
for confusion among Kosovars has increased due to the 
division of responsibilities within NATO between NATO HQ in 
Brussels and JFC Naples, and the proposal by the sub-WG on 
Security Institutions to keep OKPCC staff working with NATO 
on the transition post-status. 
 
PLANNING FOR DEMOBLIZATION AND REINTEGRATION OF THE KPC 
 
¶7. (C) At the sub-WG on KPC Issues meeting on June 14, the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented the 
results of their pilot demobilization and reintegration 
program, funded by the British government.  To date, the 
program has assisted 56 individuals, with 30 more in process. 
 IOM agreed to calculate an estimated unit cost for 
demobilization and reintegration, but requested that the KPC 
first provide them with additional demographic information to 
determine whether the 56 individuals in their program are a 
representative sample.  IOM devoted the bulk of its 
presentation to a series of "preliminary considerations and 
best practices," which include having clear-cut eligibility 
criteria, having senior staff from key stakeholders conduct 
field visits, and ensuring that participants develop their 
own business proposals so that they feel a sense of 
ownership.  UNDP announced it was standing up a "formulation 
mission" to assess demobilization and reintegration needs, 
which would include IOM, other international and 
non-governmental organizations, and key potential donors like 
the UK and US. 
 
BUDGET AND RESOURCE REQUIRMENTS REMAIN CONTENTIOUS 
 
PRISTINA 00000544  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶8. (C) On June 21, both sub-WGs addressed budget and resource 
requirements.  OKPCC presented the budget it formulated last 
spring for the post-UNSCR transition, totaling 97 million 
euros for 2007-2009, excluding the cost of the Early 
Retirement Law for the KPC.  (Note: The PISG distributed a 
new version of this law to sub-WG members. We continue to 
work with the PISG and other international actors such as the 
World Bank to ensure that the law is fiscally responsible.) 
NATO's budget for the Ministry and KSF ranges from 33 to 77 
million euros, depending on assumptions made, for example, on 
facilities and the cost of screening procedures.  The 
Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, put together by the 
Ministry of Finance and Economy (MFE), currently includes 61 
million euros for the Ministry and the KSF, or 37 percent 
less that the OKPCC budget.  OKPCC representatives told the 
sub-WG that there had been no conversation with the MFE about 
this substantial reduction.  The sub-WGs agreed to invite MFE 
representatives to the next meeting on July 5 to discuss the 
budget, as well as members of the European Commission to talk 
about planning and timelines for a donor's conference. 
 
STANDING UP A NEW MINISTRY OF DEFENSE 
 
¶9. (C) On June 7 and 21, the sub-WG on Security Institutions 
discussed NATO's working concept for the ministry, 
KSF-related questions for the Constitution Working Group, the 
desirability of keeping staff from the OKPCC until a Ministry 
is stood up, and the draft law creating the KSF and ministry. 
 Members reminded NATO that the responsibilities of other 
security sector institutions, such as the Kosovo Security 
Council and Assembly Committee on Security, were outside of 
the scope of this sub-WG, and while it was essential to 
coordinate and communicate recommendations, the lead should 
remain with those respective sub-WGs.  In addition, the ICO 
reminded NATO that the Constitutional Commission outlined in 
the Ahtisaari proposal would determine key responsibilities 
related to the security sector institutions, such as who has 
command and control of the KSF.  General Sykes expressed 
concerns about the integrated model the draft concept 
proposes for the ministry; NATO promised to bring 
representatives working in integrated ministries in other 
countries who could talk about how integration works in 
practice.  Septel will discuss current planning for the 
Ministry of the KSF. 
 
¶10. (C) COMMENT:  The Working Group on Security lags behind 
Transition Working Groups for other sectors in part because 
of the sensitive political nature of the issues that it has 
been mandated to address.  Regardless of this dynamic, the 
sub-WGs on KPC Issues and Security Institutions are finally 
starting to gather some momentum, but the most potentially 
controversial decisions, including the early retirement law 
for the KPC, remain outstanding.  Broad donor interest is 
encouraging, but we will continue to support strong NATO 
leadership in the standing up of the KSF.  Post will continue 
to monitor progress and report substantive developments in 
the proposals for standing up the new security institutions. 
END COMMENT. 
KAIDANOW