VZCZCXYZ0025
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSQ #0310/01 1281519
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071519Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7323
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0298
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2266
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

UNCLAS SKOPJE 000310 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV NATO MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: NATO SIDELINE DISCUSSIONS OVERSHADOW 
EU, ENERGY AGENDA AT CENTRAL EUROPEAN LEADERS SUMMIT 
 
 
Summary 
--------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Macedonia's President hosted the 15th Summit of 
Presidents of Central European States, May 2-3, in Ohrid. 
Seventeen states, spanning a geographic region from Germany 
to Ukraine, participated in the meeting.  Kosovo is not  yet 
a member of the group, and was not invited to participate. 
The official summit agenda focused on EU integration and 
energy security issues, but Macedonia's recent bid for NATO 
membership dominated sideline discussions, given the timing 
(on the heels of the Greek veto of Macedonia's invitation at 
the Bucharest NATO summit) and Greece's absence (Greece has 
never been a member of the group).  In an undisguised signal 
to Athens, President Crvenkovski underscored Macedonia's 
strong ties with Turkey, as Turkish President Gul combined a 
4-day state visit to Macedonia with his attendance at the 
summit as a special guest to discuss EU integration 
challenges.  End summary. 
 
Official Agenda: EU Integration and Energy 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U)  EU integration and energy security issues dominated 
the official agenda of the Summit of Presidents of Central 
European States, which Macedonia hosted May 2-3 in Ohrid. 
Seventeen central and eastern European countries participated 
in the event.  Summit conclusions (not formal resolutions or 
declarations) emphasized that EU integration will not be 
complete without the inclusion of Western Balkan states. 
Discussions of energy security focused on alternative 
solutions, including nuclear power, for ensuring long-term 
energy stability. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Though the official agenda focused on EU integration 
and energy security issues, host President Crvenkovski, and 
Macedonian PM Gruevski, made it clear in their formal 
addresses that Greece's veto of Macedonia's NATO membership 
bid this April could eventually have broader consequences for 
the region.  In his address at the summit, PM Gruevski also 
stated that "The policy of blockade by Greece is a blockade 
of EU and NATO interests as well, but it will not discourage 
Macedonia..." 
 
NATO Membership Dominates Summit Sidelines 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Greece has never been a member of the Central 
European States group, and in Greece's absence presidents of 
NATO member countries openly expressed their disappointment 
over the Greek veto at the Bucharest summit.  They also 
offered expressions of support for Macedonia, according to 
President Crvenkovski's Chief of Staff Natasha Savova. Summit 
conclusions noted that summit participants unanimously agreed 
that Macedonia "had already fulfilled the necessary criteria 
for (NATO) membership."  During official sessions and 
speeches various presidents referred to "Macedonia" rather 
than using the UN-agreed acronym "FYROM," in contrast to what 
their delegations use in other multilateral fora, including 
NATO and the EU. 
 
And We Brought Friends 
---------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Turkish President Gul participated in the summit 
as a special guest of President Crvenkovski, even though 
Turkey is not a member of the group.  His attendance at the 
summit, ostensibly to discuss EU integration challenges,  was 
complemented by a four-day official state visit to Macedonia, 
during which time the two countries signed a bilateral 
agreement on disaster relief.  Though plans for the Turkish 
President's state visit and participation in the conference 
were not finalized until after Macedonia failed to receive a 
NATO invitation at the Bucharest summit, Savova said that 
other Presidents did not view Turkey's participation in the 
event as inappropriate. 
 
Absent Kosovo Grabs Headlines and Summit Sidelines 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶6. (SBU)  Macedonian press played up the Kosovar President's 
 
absence from the summit, which Crvenkovski reportedly 
justified by explaining that "consensus on the invitation was 
unattainable due to varied national positions on recognizing 
Kosovo."  Savova indicated that press coverage of the issue 
was unnecessarily inflammatory, that Kosovo is not yet a 
member of the group, and that Pristina had not expected to be 
invited to the meeting.  She noted that Macedonia had not 
joined the group until 10 years after independence. Savova 
reported that the President's office had met with UNMIK 
representatives prior to the summit; there had been agreement 
on both sides that Kosovo would not participate. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Kosovo border demarcation also figured prominently 
in sideline discussions, with Serbian President Tadic calling 
for Serbian participation in the technical commission tasked 
with demarcating the Kosovo-Macedonia border.  Crvenkovski 
responded that border demarcation is a technical, rather than 
political, matter, according to local press accounts. 
 
Comment 
-------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) A shrewd political strategist, President 
Crvenkovski made the most of the timing for the Ohrid event, 
coming as it did on the heels of Greece's veto of Macedonia 
bid to join NATO.  He used the event to showcase Macedonia's 
strong ties with Turkey, succeeded in inserting language in 
the summit conclusions about Macedonia's having met NATO's 
membership criteria, and managed to get EU and NATO-member 
heads of state to refer to "Macedonia" openly instead of 
using the despised FYROM acronym.  Though the group does not 
adopt binding resolutions, tough policy issues, in the form 
of membership decisions, could be ahead for it if Kosovo 
expresses interest in joining soon, since the next summit 
will be held in Belgrade in 2009. End Comment. 
 
NAVRATIL