VZCZCXRO2304
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #1302/01 2670738
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240738Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1481
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 001302 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PBTS PREL PGOV KPAO KV SR
SUBJECT: KOSOVO WEEKLY: MORE OF THE SAME FROM BELGRADE 
 
REF: BELGRADE 1298 
 
BELGRADE 00001302  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Kosovo Minister Slobodan 
Samardzic attended Troika-led discussions in London, bringing little 
new to the table or to the discussion back at home.  The President 
and Prime Minister announced their participation in the next round 
of discussions to take place in New York, September 28.  Government 
officials rejected Pristina's proposed "good neighbor" agreement and 
the possibility of independence for Kosovo, in the near future, 
particularly by way of a unilateral declaration of independence. PM 
Kostunica reiterated the Democratic Party of Serbia's position on 
autonomy for Kosovo.  In New York, we expect, the PM will go to 
town, exploiting the symbolism of the UN -- the arbiter of Kosovo's 
future.  End summary. 
 
No to Good Neighbors 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Serbian officials showed disdain in response to the 
Pristina's negotiating team's "good neighbor" proposal of measures 
to build civility between Serbia and Kosovo. Jeremic told reporters 
in London on September 18 that the GOS did not see the future 
relationship between Serbia and Kosovo as a relationship between two 
independent states. Samardzic called upon the Troika to reject the 
proposal because it was outside the agenda of the talks and would 
undermine the negotiations.  In a speech to the board of the 
Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) on September 19, PM Kostunica 
reiterated that the party could not allow the creation of a second 
Albanian state on Serbian territory but that Serbia would offer 
"full autonomy" for the Albanian majority in Kosovo.  In the 
Ambassador's first meeting with the PM Kostunica, September 19, 
Kosovo dominated the conversation (reftel). 
 
¶3. (U) FM Jeremic and Kosovo Minister Samardzic attended the 
Troika-facilitated discussions on Kosovo in London September 18. 
Samardzic announced  on September 18 that the Serbian negotiating 
team had five main topics for discussion in the Sept 28 round of 
talks in New York: 
 
- an international agreement on the status of Kosovo, 
- specifics on power sharing, 
- economic issues, 
- Kosovo's relationship with international financial organizations 
and regional initiatives, and 
- the role of an international presence under UN auspices through 
civilian and military bodies that would secure the implementation of 
the status decision. 
 
Europe Must Help Serbia 
------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) Jeremic told state-owned Radio-Televizija Serbije (RTS) on 
September 17 that Serbia should seek political and diplomatic 
support within the EU for a compromise solution that would lead to 
Kosovo status -- i.e., a long-term solution.  He said Serbia had to 
be active on two parallel diplomatic fronts: direct talks with 
Pristina and other diplomatic activity to build support for 
continuation of the negotiations until the parties reached a 
compromise solution.  In a speech on September 18, he warned that, 
if Europe allowed Kosovo to become independent, it would be 
tantamount to forcibly dividing Serbia, a move he said would hurt 
Serbia's outlook on Europe. 
 
Parallel Realities 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (U) Minister for Kosovo Samardzic told RTS television, September 
20, that Serbia would count on EU's assistance to implement the GOS 
plan for autonomy for Kosovo.  He said that he did not believe that 
any solution would transform Kosovo Albanians into loyal Serbian 
citizens and that Serbia's plan for "loose integration" would allow 
Serbs and Albanians to lead "parallel lives."  The international 
community would have to assume responsibility for enforcing the 
solution and continue to provide security, he said, because Kosovo 
would remain a "hostile community" for Serbs. 
 
A New Spin on Autonomy 
---------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) On September 20, Blic newspaper reported unnamed sources 
close to the Contact Group who suggested a Hong Kong-style 
arrangement for Kosovo.  Laying out a state-within-a-state model, 
the paper described a ten-to-twenty-year plan of quasi autonomy. 
 
Support from Czechs on UDI Stance 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) During President Tadic's September 17 visit to Prague, Czech 
President Vaclav Klaus rejected the possibility of a unilateral 
 
BELGRADE 00001302  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
declaration of Kosovo's independence as irresponsible and 
unconstructive and urged an agreed solution that is fair to both 
sides, within the Belgrade - Pristina talks.  "Serbia will not 
recognize the independence of Kosovo," Tadic told a joint press 
conference on September 17 in Prague and added that Serbia would 
implement all legal and non-violent means to prevent such a 
decision. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The GOS continues to talk about compromise solutions, 
putting nothing new on the table or before the public.  We expect 
that Samardzic will make the most of the fact that the next round of 
discussions is on the tails of UNGA, insisting that the UN is the 
proper body to resolve Kosovo status.  End Comment. 
 
MUNTER