VZCZCXRO9104
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0050 0161537
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161537Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0882
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000050 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SR
SUBJECT: SERBIAN GOVERNMENT APPOINTS AMBASSADORS TO UNITED STATES, 
UN 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  The Serbian government appointed a new Ambassador to the United 
States, current deputy chief of mission Vladimir Petrovic and a new 
Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Feodor Starcevic. 
Both are close associates of Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, an 
indication of his personal interest in developing greater ties with 
the United States and lobbying for Serbia's International Court of 
Justice case.  End Summary. 
 
New Ambassadors to United States 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  Serbian media announced January 16 that the Serbian government 
appointed several new Serbian ambassadors at its regular meeting on 
January 15.  Among them are current DCM in Washington Vladimir 
Petrovic, tapped to be Ambassador to the United States and Feodor 
Starcevic as Permanent Representative to the UN.  Although Starcevic 
is a long-serving career diplomat, both he and Petrovic, who began 
his diplomatic career in 2007, are close associates of Foreign 
Minister Vuk Jeremic. 
 
Bio Note: Petrovic 
------------------ 
 
¶3.  Vladimir Petrovic is currently the Serbian Deputy Chief of 
Mission in the United States, a position he has held since August 
16, 2007.  Prior to joining the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Petrovic 
lived and worked in the United States for several years.  Petrovic 
has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of 
Georgia.  After completing his studies, Petrovic worked for two 
Atlanta law firms and CARE USA.  He worked for Illinois Governor Rod 
Blagojevich as director of personnel in 2003 and as deputy director 
of the Illinois Trade Office in 2004, and he served on Blagojevic's 
reelection campaign in 2006.  He was also a fundraiser for various 
other campaigns, including the U.S. Senate election campaign of 
Barack Obama.  He first joined the Foreign Affairs Ministry in June 
2007 as a minister counselor in the Office of the Foreign Affairs 
Minister.  He speaks fluent English. 
 
Bio Note: Starcevic 
------------------- 
 
¶4. Feodor Starcevic is currently Assistant Minister for Multilateral 
Affairs in the Foreign Affairs Ministry.  He was born in 1942 in 
Split, Croatia and was raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. 
After completing law school at the University of Belgrade, he 
studied journalism in Zagreb, where he worked for the Vjesnik daily 
until 1967.  He later trained as a lawyer in Sarajevo, from 
1965-1967.  He first joined the Federal Secretariat for Foreign 
Affairs of Yugoslavia and served in the Division for the United 
States and Canada.  He held various posts in the Foreign Affairs 
Secretariat and Yugoslavia's diplomatic missions.  From 1992 to 
1994, he was UN Chief Representative in Georgia, and from 1995 to 
2004 he was Director of the UN Information Center in India.  He 
retired in 2004 until Jeremic appointed him to his current position 
in 2007.  He was also a member of the Kosovo negotiation team.  He 
speaks fluent English and French. 
 
Comment 
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¶5.  Jeremic's habit of quickly promoting his close associates over 
other professional diplomats has earned him considerable 
unpopularity within the Ministry.  The appointments of confidantes, 
however, are a signal that Jeremic has a personal inerest in both 
deepening the relationship with the United States and using the 
United Nations to lobby for Serbia's International Court of Justice 
case.  End Comment. 
 
MUNTER