VZCZCXRO9346
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHBW #1604 3331705
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291705Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1826
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1396
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS BELGRADE 001604 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PBTS KPAO SR MW KV
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN SERBIA: ALBANIANS RAISE FLAG BUT EVENT PASSES WITH 
LITTLE FANFARE 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Local Albanians in Southern Serbia publicly celebrated 
Albanian Flag Day, more calmly than in past years.  In the Presevo 
Valley, Albanians temporarily flew the Albanian flag alongside the 
Serbian flag, but caused little reaction.  USG calls to local 
leaders from Belgrade and Pristina in advance of the November 28 
holiday urged restraint, and likely played a role in tempering the 
rhetoric and avoiding violence this year, but the symbolism of the 
flag-flying betrays the lack of support for Serbia and Serbian 
institutions in a potential hotspot.  End Summary. 
 
Albanian Flag Day 
------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU)For the past two years Albanians in south Serbia have 
commemorated Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire with 
Flag Day celebrations.  Celebratory acts included playing the 
Albanian national anthem and flying the Albanian national flag, 
alongside or without the Serbian national flag, on municipal 
buildings in the southern Serbian municipalities of Presevo and 
Bujanovac, in contravention of Serbian law.  (Article 16 of the 
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's Law on Protection of Rights and 
Freedoms of National Minorities allows minorities to choose and use 
their national insignia; however, these must not be identical with 
the insignia of any other state.)  In 2005, an attempt by locals to 
bring an Albanian national flag into the Bujanovac municipal 
building provoked a police response.  In 2006, local Albanians 
removed the Serbian national flag from the Presevo municipal 
building.  Moderate Albanian leaders repudiated these incidents, 
which Serbian authorities also condemned. 
 
Flag Day celebration in Presevo and Bujanovac 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)On November 28, Albanians in south Serbia marked Albanian 
Flag Day with events in Presevo and Bujanovac, including official 
receptions and unofficial demonstrations. The events were calmer 
than in 2006.  The mayors of Presevo and Bujanovac, Ragmi Mustafa 
and Nagip Arifi, did not attend the events, instead traveling to 
Tirana for the celebrations, at the invitation of the Albanian 
president.  Both the local OSCE representative in South Serbia and 
Behlul Nasufi of Riza Halimi's Party for Democratic Action told 
emboffs that only 100 to 200 people rallied in Presevo.  The group, 
they said, included members of the disbanded Liberation Army of 
Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac (UCPMB).  Informal speeches and 
placards called for independence and demilitarization of the region. 
 The OSCE representative confirmed that the Albanian flag flew 
briefly alongside the Serbian flag in front of the Presevo municipal 
building but was removed without incident.  Local news agencies 
reported that the Presevo municipal assembly started their session 
with the Albanian national anthem and then passed a declaration 
calling for the right to use the national insignia and to celebrate 
of Albanian national holidays.  By all accounts, the day's events 
ended peacefully. 
 
Government of Serbia:  Events Were Calm 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Nenad Djurdjevic, Director for the Government's 
Coordination Body of Serbia, told emboff that the events in South 
Serbia were "low key and peaceful."  He said that, for the most 
part, "high school youths" attended the public demonstration in 
Presevo.  He said that municipal officials had not organized the 
demonstration in Presevo, but was uncertain who had.  Djurdjevic 
said that when local Albanians formed a national council, the 
council could legally address the issues the assembly's declaration 
identified. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) This year's relatively calm flag day may have something to 
do with the sense in Serbia's Albanian community that independence 
for Albanians in Kosovo still depends on the goodwill of the 
international community.  The Albanian communities in Southern 
Serbia apparently heard the message -- from us and, we expect, from 
Kosovo, and kept the peace.  Maintaining inter-ethnic peace and 
discouraging separatism especially in areas with large minority 
populations or inter-ethnically mixed communities will challenge 
Serbia's governing and law enforcement authorities following a 
decision on Kosovo's status.  We and others in the region will need 
to continue to urge calm and discourage provocative nationalist 
acts.  End Summary 
 
BRUSH