VZCZCXYZ0012
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBW #0138/01 0441616
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131616Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0982
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNS/NSC WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000138 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: FRESH CONTROVERSY OVER DRAFT VOJVODINA STATUTE 
 
REF: A) 08 BELGRADE 1026, B) BELGRADE 125 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The draft Vojvodina Statute, the governing legislation of 
the autonomous province, remains the subject of controversy and 
political manipulation.  The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians have 
accused President Tadic's Democratic Party (DS) of stalling due to 
internal divisions, bringing the Statute back to the public eye and 
the target of nationalist rhetoric.  Serbia's rabid Radical Party, 
joined by the Democratic Party of Serbia of former PM Kostunica, 
have seized on the Statute to whip up hysteria over visions of 
Vojvodina secessionism.  DS and other coalition officials continue 
to defend the statute, and it is likely to pass the National 
Parliament in a form very similar to the draft passed by the 
Vojvodina Parliament in October 2008, despite a fanfare of Serbian 
political rhetoric.  Vojvodina's citizens, who were guaranteed a 
Statute under the new Serbian Constitution, Serbs and Hungarians 
alike, are increasingly annoyed by their treatment at the hands of 
the "Serbs to the South."  End Summary 
 
Vojvodina Hungarians Want Statute Passed 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The draft Vojvodina Statute passed by the Vojvodina 
Provincial Assembly October 14, 2008 (Ref A) returned to the 
headlines January 20 after Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) 
official Balint Pasztor criticized the government for not passing it 
or the Law on Vojvodina Authority, which is required before the 
Statute can go into effect, on to the Parliament.  He said President 
Tadic had promised the Statute would go to Parliament by early 
February at the latest but there was no sign that it or the Law on 
Vojvodina Authority would move to Parliament soon. 
 
Opposition and Church Decry State within a State 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶3. (U) The opposition took the opportunity to renew its allegations 
that the government was creating a "state within a state" with the 
Statute.  Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) leader Vojislav Kostunica 
said in an interview with Vecernje Novosti February 5 that the draft 
was unconstitutional and a vestige of the 1974 Constitution, which 
had led to the dismemberment of Yugoslavia.  (Note: the 1974 
Constitution established Vojvodina and Kosovo as autonomous 
provinces.)  Kostunica said in light of the government's creation of 
the Statute, tacit recognition of Kosovo independence, and 
mishandling of the economic crisis, Serbia should have new 
elections.  Leader of the opposition Serbian Progressive Party 
Tomislav Nikolic said the draft Statute would have to be changed 
drastically or the ruling coalition would meet with "resistance" 
from citizens. 
 
¶4. (U) The Serbian Orthodox Church addressed a letter to President 
Tadic, Prime Minister Cvetkovic, and Parliamentary Speaker Slavic 
Djukic-Dejanovic criticizing the statute, stating "Serbia's 
sovereignty was first severely jeopardized, we hope temporarily, by 
the violent seizure and occupation of Kosovo, and then by an attempt 
to turn Vojvodina into a new state within Serbia."  (Comment: 
Embassy has been unable to obtain comment from Vojvodina's most 
prominent Serbian Orthodox bishop and many church observers believe 
the letter was the work of Metropolitan Amfilohije, a bitter 
opponent of autonomy.  End Comment.) 
 
Socialists Add to the Criticism? 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Complicating matters, ruling coalition partner Socialist 
Party of Serbia (SPS) leader and Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic 
stated February 7 that the SPS had no objection to Vojvodina 
autonomy but would not support a state within a state.  Media 
speculated the Statute would not have enough votes to pass as 
drafted if the SPS withdrew its support.  SPS official Branko Ruzic 
clarified on February 10 that SPS had only meant the Law on 
Vojvodina Authority needed to be passed first.  DS Vojvodina Board 
President Dusan Elezovic told Danas on February 12 that SPS had 
never rejected the Statute.  He said Dacic's statement was only that 
SPS would not support the creation of a state within a state, not 
that the draft Statute represented that.  Elezovic said he had 
spoken with the entire leadership of SPS, all of whom had given him 
assurances that the party had not changed its position and would 
support the statute. 
 
Coalition and Vojvodina Officials Defend Statute 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶6. (U) Coalition officials, including President Tadic, continue to 
defend the draft Statute as written, despite press speculation that 
it would be amended.  Tadic said Vojvodina had a right to autonomy 
and reiterated that the Statute strengthened executive powers but 
did not grant the province legislative or judicial powers, in an 
interview with news agency FoNet on February 1.  Vojvodina Executive 
Council President Bojan Pajtic told media the Statute did not 
represent Vojvodina versus Serbia, because Vojvodina was part of 
Serbia.  G17 Plus deputy leader Ivana Markovic-Dulic said those who 
opposed the Statute were those who opposed European integration.  In 
an interview with Danas on February 11, League of Vojvodina Social 
Democrats (LSV) leader Nenad Canak said the Statute already 
represented a compromise and LSV would not vote for a Statute that 
included substantive changes. 
 
Rift between Central DS and Vojvodina DS? 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The competing and conflicting public comments have given 
the impression of rifts within DS over the Statute.  SVM's Pasztor 
alleged as much in his January 20 comments, claiming that there was 
a disagreement between the DS in Vojvodina and central party 
officials in Belgrade.  Pajtic, also a Vice President of DS, refuted 
the idea the delay was due to internal conflicts, ascribing it 
instead to "procrastination" by some ministers.  When we asked 
Deputy Speaker Gordana Comic (DS) why there was so much wrangling in 
the press about the Statute even among the coalition, she said "if 
there is something that can be done easily in Serbia, we will do it 
the complicated way." 
 
Next Steps 
---------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The government now needs to complete and send to Parliament 
a Law on Vojvodina Authority, which defines the powers the 
government grants the province.  LSV International Relations 
Director Sanja Siflis told us the law provides a framework for the 
Statute; as such, a new Statute would need to be drafted any time 
this law changed.  Technically, she said, the law should have been 
drafted first, but because the Constitution set a deadline for the 
Vojvodina Parliament to pass a draft Statute but not for the 
National Parliament to adopt the Law on Vojvodina Authority or the 
Statute, the Statute had come first.  Pajtic announced January 24 
that the Law on Vojvodina Authority was nearly complete; once it was 
harmonized with the Statute, the government would adopt both and 
send them to Parliament.  Comic told us she was not sure when that 
would happen, but that she had been told "soon."  This tracks with 
what we heard from the Prime Minister on February 9 (Ref B). 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The rhetoric from the opponents of the Statute has not 
changed since the draft was introduced in September.  The Statute 
remains a magnet for nationalists, particularly those struggling to 
find relevance in the domestic political landscape.  By publicly 
voicing their frustration at the government's slow action, DS's 
smaller coalition partners in Vojvodina gave the nationalists 
additional fodder.  While there may be some truth to the accusations 
that the Statute was in part held up by disagreements between the DS 
Vojvodina and the central party, Parliament's lack of progress on 
moving any legislation is just as likely a factor.  DS as a party 
approved the Statute before it went to the Vojvodina Parliament, so 
it is likely to go the National Parliament in very similar form to 
the draft.  Once it does, it will probably pass.  SPS's 
"clarification" of its position indicates it will not go against the 
DS on this issue.  Serbian politicians have an unfortunate penchant 
for creating political crises out of nothing, inflaming public 
opinion and giving themselves credit for solving problems which 
never should have existed.  This is a good example.  Serbian 
politicians show an equally unfortunate tendency to alienate those 
whose support they most need.  Luckily Vojvodina has nowhere else to 
go, but its citizens are sure to feel scarred by this messy 
experience.  End Comment. 
 
MUNTER