VZCZCXRO5319
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0485/01 1361517
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151517Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0298
INFO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0418

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000485 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PBTS PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SR
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN SERBIA: ALBANIANS RETURN TO PARLIAMENT, MODERATES 
WIN LOCAL ELECTIONS 
 
REF: 08 BELGRADE 18 
 
BELGRADE 00000485  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
 
 
¶1. (U) Albanians in Southern Serbia's Presevo Valley voted in 
record numbers on May 11 to return one representative to 
Serbia's national parliament.  In local elections, moderate Serb 
and Albanian parties made gains against their more radical 
opponents in Bujanovac and Presevo.  With no outright majorities 
and several coalition options, assembly governments will be 
decided over the next weeks but should result in governments 
willing to work across ethnic lines and in coordination with 
Belgrade.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
ALBANIANS RETURN TO PARLIAMENT 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) For the second parliamentary elections in a row, the 
ethnic Albanians in Serbia participated in national elections. 
Over 18,000 voters, mostly from Southern Serbia, supported the 
Coalition of Presevo Valley Albanians.  As a minority list, this 
was enough for one seat in the national parliament.  Incumbent 
Riza Halimi, Party for Democratic Action (PVD) President, headed 
the list and will return to Belgrade for a second term.  Halimi 
told poloff on May 12 that the coalition received about 2,000 
more votes this year than in January 2007.  Turnout was markedly 
higher in Bujanovac (where PVD holds power) than in Presevo, 
where hard-liner Ragmi Mustafa's Party of Democratic Albanians 
(PDSh) is in charge.  Halimi said that although Mustafa did not 
publicly call for a boycott, he did not support the list, and 
this resulted in fewer votes out of Presevo. 
 
 
 
HARDLINERS MARGINALIZED IN PRESEVO 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) Mayor Ragmi Mustafa and other Albanian hard-line leaders 
lost seats in local elections in Presevo (95% Albanian) to 
moderate parties who are willing to work with Belgrade. 
Halimi's PVD won 13 out of 38 seats while Mustafa took 12. 
Nasir Aziri, formally a member of Mustafa's PDSh, had formed his 
own list out of dissatisfaction with Mustafa's poor relations 
with the United States and other international donors and won 
the remaining 13 seats.  Aziri told poloff on May 11 that he had 
decided to challenge Mustafa in the elections because of 
Mustafa's deteriorating relations with the USG and other key 
international donors.  Even though Mustafa refused to publicly 
commit to the Presevo Valley's integration into Serbian 
institutions, he was willing to meet and cooperate with U.S. 
officials.  Aziri had publicly supported Halimi's bid for 
national parliament. He added that he would look forward to 
repairing relations with the international community.  Aziri 
pared off four seats, significantly weakening Mustafa's 
position.  Skender Destani's Democratic Union of the Valley 
(BDL) won five seats in local elections and will likely 
negotiate a local governing coalition with Aziri and Halimi. 
The small Serb community managed to win two seats as well, 
ensuring multiethnic representation in the assembly. 
 
 
 
BUJANOVAC: SRS DOWN, MULTI-ETHNIC GOVERNMENT POSSIBLE 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) In ethnically mixed Bujanovac, non-Radical Serbs 
performed well enough to allow formation of a moderate, 
multiethnic municipal government.  Halimi's PVD won a plurality 
and will take 12 of 40 seats.  Following previous elections in 
June 2006, there were not enough democratic-bloc Serbs to form a 
government with moderate Albanians (from Halimi's PVD), forcing 
an alliance with hard-liner Jonuz Musliu's Movement for 
Democratic Progress (LPD).  This time, the Radicals fared 
poorly, dropping from 12 to 8 seats while the Democratic Party, 
 
BELGRADE 00000485  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Democratic Party of Serbia and a group of citizens led by former 
Mayor Stojanca Arsic won a total of 9.  Musliu won six, while a 
splinter of his party won three seats.  While Roma parties won 
in June 2006, they fell just short of winning any seats this 
time.  Outgoing Mayor Nagip Arifi (PVD) told poloff on May 12 
that his party would make efforts to build a multi-ethnic, 
moderate government.  (Arifi will likely become Bujanovac 
assembly speaker.) His successor, Shaip Kamberi (also PVD), told 
poloff that the PVD and other moderates "now had to deliver" to 
maintain the edge over Mustafa, Musliu and other 
anti-integration forces.  Kamberi, an International Visitor 
Program alumnus and Democracy Grant recipient, said he would 
work to include Serbs in local government and expected them to 
agree to participate.  Kamberi thought it would finally be 
easier to form a national minority council of Albanians, which 
Mustafa had previously obstructed over differences with Halimi 
over leadership of the body. 
 
 
 
COMMENT 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶5.  (U) The results of local and national elections in Southern 
Serbia were as good as could be expected for regional stability 
and the integration of this region into Serbia.  The Embassy 
enjoys productive relationships with Halimi, Kamberi, and Aziri, 
as well as with the local Serb leaders.  The USG will continue 
to serve as a bridge between those local leaders and the Serbian 
Government's Coordination Body for Southern Serbia.  Once 
governments are constituted, it will be time to return to work 
on action items for 2008 (reftel) alongside the new local 
leaders and Belgrade.  End Comment. 
MUNTER