VZCZCXRO9111
PP RUEHBZ RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUCNDT #0564/01 1921106
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111106Z JUL 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2232
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 0165
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0992
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA PRIORITY 0935

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 USUN NEW YORK 000564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: SRSG RUCKER AND COMKFOR KATHER WARN SECURITY 
COUNCIL OF FURTHER DELAY ON KOSOVO 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: In a July 9 "informal dialogue" with the 
Security Council, COMKFOR General Roland Kather said that the 
security situation in Kosovo was under control and could be 
kept that way so long as the international community 
maintained momentum and there was a prospect for some kind of 
supervised independence within a clear time frame.  Without 
this prospect, said Kather, there could be serious trouble 
and he stressed that the bottom line was that the situation 
was calm on the surface but unstable and unpredictable 
beneath it.  He said the PISG and Unity Team were doing a 
good job working on an orderly transition process and 
maintaining calm, but warned that their credibility was not 
endless.  Russia's Permrep Churkin accused Kather of 
presuming to pronounce on matters beyond his mandate and 
warned that Kosovar Albanians who had previously targeted 
Serbs with their "terrorism" might now focus on the 
international community and that KFOR should be tougher with 
them. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary continued: UNMIK SRSG Joachim Rucker later 
told the Council members that UNMIK had achieved all that was 
achievable in the absence of clarity on status.  Addressing 
internal stability in Kosovo, Rucker said Kosovars had been 
very patient, but were becoming anxious because they fear the 
status process is losing momentum.  The SRSG warned that 
without clarity concerning status, UNMIK and PISG 
achievements would be in jeopardy.  End summary. 
 
COMKFOR's Kather: With Prospects For Supervised Independence 
Security Situation Can Remain Under Control 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In a briefing on July 9 that took place under the 
new format of a so-called "informal dialogue" with the 
Security Council, COMKFOR General Roland Kather briefed 
members on KFOR's assessment of the security situation in 
Kosovo.  Kather stressed that the Provisional Institutions of 
Self Government (PISG) and Unity Team were under pressure to 
deliver independence and the security situation could become 
very fragile without movement in that direction.  He noted 
that Prime Minister Ceku had told KFOR recently that a lack 
of progress on status issues could risk the PISG and Unity 
Team being swept away by other elements.  NATO had been 
pushing in Kosovo a message that stressed moderation and 
reassuring Serb minorities that their place was in Kosovo. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Kather said KFOR was focusing its daily mission on 
three key principles: 1) having clear intelligence and 
exchange of intelligence regarding the security situation 2) 
carrying out a "walk and talk" policy to the keep security 
situation under close scrutiny 3) being even-handed and 
impartial.  Kather stated that he had spoken with ethnic 
Albanians recently tied with the Albanian Liberation Army and 
warned them that "if they did not keep the situation under 
control then KFOR would."  Kather also said some Kosovo Serbs 
had told him recently that they hoped for a status decision 
soon and that they wanted to stay, but needed clarity. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) On broader security preparedness, Kather 
underscored that NATO had increased its operational readiness 
and strategic reserves in the context of lessons learned from 
¶2004.  KFOR currently assessed that the situation was still 
calm and so long as the international community maintained 
momentum and there was a prospect for some kind of supervised 
independence within a clear time frame, KFOR could keep the 
security situation under control.  If not, he said, there 
would be serious trouble.  KFOR was also continuing planning 
with the International Civilian Office (ICO) and the EU 
planning teams so as to have an orderly transition process 
(should the EU deploy the team envisioned in the Ahtisaari 
proposal).  The bottom line was that the situation in Kosovo 
was currently calm on the surface, but also unstable and 
unpredictable, concluded Kather.  He believes the PISG and 
Unity Team were doing a good job working on an orderly 
process and maintaining calm, but fears their ability to keep 
things under control might not be endless. 
 
 
Interventions By Security Council Members To Kather 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Ambassador Khalilzad had strong praise for the 
approach of KFOR including its "walk and talk" strategy.  The 
U.S. agreed that to maintain calm it would be necessary to 
move the status process forward and have clarity about their 
future for the people of Kosovo. 
 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000564  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Russia's Permrep Churkin accused Kather of having 
gone beyond his mandate in terms of referring to "the wishes 
of some Security Council members for a decision on status." 
Russia was concerned by periodic threats that violence would 
occur in Kosovo if status were not decided by a specific 
date.  Russia's view was that the forces placed in Kosovo 
should not allow instability to occur.  Churkin claimed he 
had read recent comments in the press to the effect that some 
KLA veterans had said they might soon need to go back to 
being active soldiers.  The KLA had used "terrorism" 
previously to fight against Serbs and could target e the 
international community.  He asserted that NATO should be 
more tough in its response. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Speaking for the UK, Deputy Permrep Pierce asked 
whether there was any threat of Serbs in North Mitrovica 
trying to take Kosovo back by force.  Also, if the Ahtisaari 
plan were not adopted, what would be the worst threat? 
Belgian's Ambassador pointed to Kather's comment that the 
situation on the ground could be kept under control as long 
as there were clear prospects and asked whether he believed 
the international community would be able to engage properly. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Speaking in his national capacity, the Chinese 
Permrep Wang said that KFOR had played an important role, the 
status process was now at a critical stage, but the gap 
between the two sides was huge.  He said, violence would not 
be helpful in bringing us to a solution and KFOR had a great 
responsibility to react to any threat. 
 
Kather Responds To Interventions 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Speaking again to respond to questions, Kather 
said that he had clearly delivered a message to the head of 
the war veterans that any threats would be unacceptable. 
However, there was deep frustration regarding economic 
prospects and Kosovars had been waiting for status since 
1999, so it was understandable that they needed to bark, but 
KFOR would keep them close to its chain.  NATO was staying as 
prepared as possible, however, and he had told KFOR troops to 
be ready to intervene anywhere within Kosovo within thirty 
minutes.  In response to a question from Churkin on recent 
threats to the Russian office, Kather said that KFOR had had 
a full platoon ready, but there had been no available 
intelligence on any specific threat.  Kather said he had also 
talked to NATO's SYG de Hoop Scheffer and told him KFOR 
needed to be ready to call for NATO reserves if necessary. 
 
SRSG Rucker Briefs In Security Council Consultations On UNMIK 
Report 
 
¶11.  (SBU) In a briefing to the Security Council in the 
consultations format, SRSG Rucker stated that UNMIK had 
achieved all that was achievable in the absence of clarity on 
status.  Pointing to Kai Eide's conclusions from 2005, Rucker 
said the status quo was simply not sustainable.  Returns were 
a complex issue for a number of reasons so results had been 
mixed.  However, a few significant success stories had been 
witnessed recently.  Kosovars had been very patient, but were 
becoming anxious because they feared the status process was 
losing momentum.  Without clarity concerning status, the 
security situation in Kosovo might become untenable because 
of radical elements on both sides.  There might also be an 
unraveling of all of the progress that UNMIK had made in 
Kosovo.  The people of Kosovo were adamant that upcoming 
elections should not impede the status process. 
 
Interventions By Security Council Members To Rucker 
 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Russia's Churkin responded that he disagreed that 
prompt decision-taking regarding status was necessary.  The 
simple problem remained that Kosovo Serbs did not feel safe, 
he claimed.  On UNMIK's progress to date under 1244, there 
was a difference between what was achievable and what must be 
done, asserted Churkin. UNMIK is responsible for doing what 
must be done because what is "achievable" is subjective, he 
concluded.  Churkin said witness protection remained a 
serious problem, claiming that three potential witnesses in 
the ongoing ICTY trial of Ramush Haradinaj had been killed. 
Churkin concluded that forcing a decision on status was wrong 
as the Serbs were against it, that UNSCR 1244 was not 
time-limited and that UNMIK had to stay. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The UK's Ambassador Pierce asked Rucker whether 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000564  003 OF 004 
 
 
there had been discussion of a referendum on independence on 
the ground?  France's Permrep underscored that the Security 
Council must help Kosovo move beyond the status quo, which is 
not tenable.  Italy's permrep argued that the EU should take 
a greater role in the region now.  Despite UNMIK's good work, 
the path to reaching certain objectives has been long and the 
number of returnees was still low.  He argued cryptically 
that "any action in Kosovo that undermines action in New York 
should be condemned."  He also asserted that any new 
negotiations should be "real" ones.    Slovakia's permrep 
stressed that the time had come to resolve status and argued 
that any solution should be through the Security Council. 
Belgium's permrep argued that the international community 
needed a clear process, with a roadmap, benchmarks, and a 
clear outcome. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) Ghana's permrep said status clarity is 
understandably important and that we must appreciate the need 
for a timely settlement taking into account regional 
stability.  Indonesia stated that though the desire for a 
speedy resolution is understandable, hasty actions cause more 
violence than considered actions.  There were many places in 
the world without their own status that have very successful 
economies because they invest in education, he claimed.  He 
also asked how would UNMIK react if a unilateral declaration 
of independence were made by Kosovo? 
 
¶15.  (SBU) Ambassador Khalilzad expressed agreement that 
there had been significant progress on standards and also 
that status clarity was needed for further progress.  He 
asked Rucker what role Serbia had played in encouraging Serbs 
in Kosovo to participate in institution building and asked 
what reactions Kosovo Serbs had had to the Ahtisaari 
proposal. 
 
¶16.  (SBU) Qatar said that UNMIK, with the support of the EU, 
has played a crucial role in institutions and the economy, 
yet Kosovo's future still has not been resolved.  Stable 
multiethnic relations were necessary for the future of 
Kosovo. 
 
¶17.  (SBU) Panama's permrep stated that it was obvious that 
there has been progress in Kosovo but that building a 
multiethnic society and facilitating the return of refugees 
had been difficult.  It was unclear how more standards 
implementation would change anything within the larger 
political process.  The Security Council should not make 
decisions on status, the Kosovars should make them.  If 
Kosovo is a European problem, as the Europeans say, then the 
Europeans should put forward a proposal. Russians should 
perhaps put forward a proposal as well.  Peru stated that the 
current lack of action by the council, if continued, could be 
the worst case scenario. 
 
¶18.  (SBU) China said standards implementation was a basic 
requirement of 1244 and there was still work that remained to 
be done, such as on refugees.  China encouraged UNMIK to 
discuss with the EU what must be done and work on contingency 
plans.  There was no consensus in the Security Council, but 
China claimed that all acknowledged that both sides needed to 
continue negotiations. 
 
Rucker Offers Rebuttal 
 
¶19.  (SBU) Taking the floor again, Rucker clarified that 
regarding UNMIK's implementation of 1244, he had not said the 
mission was completely accomplished,  but that, under the 
circumstances, UNMIK had achieved what was achievable without 
status clarity.  There had been success with protecting 
witnesses who were often sent to neighboring countries. ICTY 
had never provided information on intimidation of witnesses 
involving Haradinaj's case.  Rucker said there were 
increasing signals from Kosovo Serbs that they were greatly 
interested in the Ahtisaari proposal and other signals, such 
as the formation of a new political party, that at least some 
of them do not want to be influenced by Serbia.  Kosovars are 
growing weary of both the UN presence and the PISG, which 
impacts their effectiveness as public anxiety worsens, said 
Rucker.  If Kosovo issued a unilateral declaration, guidance 
from the UN would be sought. 
 
Churkin Has Last Word 
 
¶20.  (SBU) Churkin took the floor again to rebut Rucker, 
claiming that 1244 did not say "achieve what is achievable", 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000564  004 OF 004 
 
 
but rather "achieve what must be done."  Churkin added that 
to say that in the event of a unilateral declaration guidance 
from the UN would be sought was invalid because UNSCR 1244 
says that any unilateral declarations must be disregarded. 
KHALILZAD