VZCZCXRO2098
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0366/01 1571322
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 051322Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7405
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0334
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000366 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR U/S FORE, EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV NATO MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: SCENESETTER FOR USAID ADMINISTRATOR 
FORE'S VISIT TO SKOPJE, JUNE 8-10 
 
 LEVERAGING STRONG PRO-U.S. SENTIMENT 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Ambassador Milovanovic and the Embassy Skopje 
interagency team welcome you to Macedonia.  Your visit comes 
at a time when U.S. influence in Macedonia is higher than at 
any time in recent memory.  President Bush's solid support 
for Macedonia's NATO candidacy at the NATO Summit in 
Bucharest, coupled with subsequent U.S. actions to show our 
support for a fair and speedy resolution of the name dispute 
with Greece, have reaffirmed to the government, opposition 
and public that the U.S. remains Macedonia's single most 
important strategic partner.  We are capitalizing on this 
heightened confidence and trust to press for progress on 
several important U.S. policy objectives in Macedonia and the 
region, including: 
 
--ensuring the government takes effective action to repair 
the damage to Macedonia's democratic credentials following 
recent elections that were marred by violence, intimidation, 
and electoral fraud; 
 
--moving quickly to resolve the name dispute with Greece; and 
 
--strengthening relations with Kosovo through official 
recognition and prompt border demarcation. 
 
 
REPAIRING THE DAMAGE FROM FLAWED ELECTIONS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Early parliamentary elections held June 1 -- which 
the main governing party won by a landslide -- were marred by 
violence, intimidation, ballot stuffing (in some cases with 
police complicity), and proxy voting.  International 
community missions monitoring the elections, as well as the 
OSCE's ODIHR mission, agreed that the conduct of the 
elections fell far short of international standards, and that 
not all eligible citizens in the country had a chance to 
freely exercise their right to vote.  The flawed elections 
damaged the country's democratic credentials and set back its 
NATO and EU integration efforts. 
 
¶3. (SBU) We have delivered a clear message to the government 
that there must be extensive re-runs (June 15) in those 
polling stations where problems were noted in order to begin 
repairing the damage.  We have insisted that all citizens 
taking part in the re-runs must be able to do so freely, 
fairly, and in a safe and secure environment.  We also have 
told the government that it must take immediate and effective 
steps to prosecute and punish those responsible for the 
violence and electoral irregularities. 
 
RESOLVE THE NAME DISPUTE, FOCUS ON NATO MEMBERSHIP 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Although stung by the Greek veto at Bucharest, both 
President Crvenkovski and PM Gruevski remain committed to a 
negotiated settlement of the name issue that preserves 
Macedonian redlines.  Those redlines include no change in the 
description of the Macedonian nationality or language, no 
change in the constitutional name, and -- for Gruevski -- 
public approval of any settlement through a referendum.  We 
have heard reports from the government that the UN special 
envoy on the name issue -- Ambassador Nimetz -- may visit 
Skopje sometime in mid-June, which could re-start talks with 
Athens on finding a mutually acceptable solution. 
 
¶5. (SBU) We have encouraged Macedonia to engage in the name 
talks with maximum flexibility in order to resolve the 
dispute in time to join Albania and Croatia in signing NATO 
accession protocols on July 9.  A tall order even under 
normal circumstances, that challenge is complicated by 
post-election political dynamics and the fact that a new 
government cannot be formed until well after the June 15 
re-runs. 
 
KOSOVO: DELINKING DEMARCATION AND RECOGNITION 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Skopje and Pristina formed in April a Joint 
Technical Commission (JTC) to demarcate their shared border 
on the basis of a 2001 agreement between Skopje and Belgrade 
(which Pristina grudgingly accepted, with USG prodding, per 
the Ahtisaari Plan).  The JTC has met several times since 
then.  Actual demarcation, a top priority for the GOM, could 
begin soon, despite strong Serb government objections to 
proceeding absent Belgrade's participation. 
 
SKOPJE 00000366  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) The GOM is wary, however, that the Kosovars may 
refuse to demarcate some potentially contentious areas 
delineated in the 2001 agreement.  Skopje, which is trying to 
maintain balanced relations with both Belgrade and Pristina, 
has suggested recognition of Kosovo could be facilitated by 
beginning the demarcation process.  We have urged the GOM to 
continue the positive momentum on border demarcation, while 
avoiding linkage between demarcation and a decision on 
recognition. 
 
USG ASSISTANCE PRIORITIES 
------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) USG assistance priorities here target reforms needed 
to ensure Macedonia's NATO and EU accession.  Specific 
challenges include combating corruption, addressing high 
unemployment, and implementing the 2001 Ohrid Framework 
Agreement, which provides for better minority rights 
protection.  The top USG assistance objective in Macedonia is 
"governing justly and democratically," which includes the 
inter-related goals of rule of law promotion and governing 
justly through good governance.  "Economic growth," with 
activities aimed at improving private sector competitiveness, 
agricultural productivity and workforce training, is the 
second highest USG development priority here. 
 
INTENSIFIED PARTNERSHIP 
----------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The U.S. and Macedonia signed a "Declaration of 
Strategic Partnership and Cooperation" on May 7 during FM 
Milososki's visit to Washington.  The declaration highlights 
the strong U.S.-Macedonian partnership in promoting 
international stability and calls for broader bilateral 
cooperation in the areas of security, people-to-people ties, 
and commerce.  We currently are negotiating an "Open Skies" 
agreement to liberalize air travel between the U.S. and 
Macedonia in the framework of that declaration. 
Milovanovic