VZCZCXRO4115
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #0269/01 1601156
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091156Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8301
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0527
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000269 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2014 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM MK GR KV SR SW
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: SWEDISH DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLITICAL 
AFFAIRS VISITS SKOPJE IN PREPERATION FOR EU PRESIDENCY 
 
Classified By: CDA THOMAS NAVRATIL FOR REASONS 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1.(C) SUMMARY: Ambassador Bjorn Lavall, Director General of 
Political Affairs for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, met with Ambassador Reeker during a visit to Skopje 
in preparation for Sweden,s upcoming EU Council Presidency. 
During the May 28 meeting they discussed the GOM,s often 
unhelpful approach to the issues Macedonia is confronting, 
including the &name dispute8 with Greece, interethnic 
challenges, diplomatic relations with Kosovo, and the impact 
of the world economic crisis.  Ambassador Lavall expects a 
positive assessment of Macedonia in the next EU Commission 
progress report and EU visa liberalization to come for 
Macedonia early next year.  He also indicated that Sweden 
would continue to advocate for Macedonia,s Euro-Atlantic 
integration during its presidency.  Swedish Ambassador to 
Macedonia Lars Freden, Swedish Counselor Anna Craenen and 
Swedish MFA Desk Officer Kerstin von Hedenberg also attended 
the meeting. (End Summary) 
 
------------------------- 
GOM STALLING AND INACTION 
------------------------- 
 
2.(C) Ambassador Lavall asked if Prime Minister Gruevski was 
truly interested in EU integration. Ambassador Reeker noted 
that PM Gurevski often seems more focused on internal 
politics than external affairs.  He noted the PM,s tendency 
to continue making excuses for not addressing many of the 
larger issues Macedonia faces, most notably the name dispute 
with Greece, but also including: economic stability, 
interethnic relations, relations with Kosovo, and meeting EU 
benchmarks.  The PM has used Macedonia,s recent elections, 
the inauguration of President Ivanov and Greece,s European 
parliamentary elections as excuses to continuously avoid 
addressing these issues.  Gruevski may find another excuse 
after European elections, but that will be the best time to 
assess Gruevski,s true intentions.  Ambassador Reeker said 
that setting specific objectives and benchmarks for Gruevski 
had been effective in getting Macedonia to make progress in 
the past and suggested a similar strategy might be effective 
in pushing them to resolve current issues. 
 
----------- 
NAME ISSUE 
----------- 
 
3.(C) Ambassador Lavall was curious as to whether or not the 
United States had devised a &plan B8 for resolving the name 
issue and getting Macedonia into NATO.  Ambassador Reeker 
cited Deputy Secretary Steinberg,s recent visit, noting the 
U.S. would make additional efforts with both sides to come to 
an equitable resolution through the UN brokered process, but 
the U.S. did not intend to dictate a solution to the dispute. 
 Ambassador Lavall indicated that they considered it an issue 
related to regional security and intended to encourage both 
sides to come to a resolution.  He noted however that the EU 
had very little sway over Greece in the issue. 
 
------------------- 
POSITIVE ASSESSMENT 
------------------- 
 
4.(C) Ambassador Lavall expects this year,s progress report 
on Macedonia from the EU Commission to be positive and said 
they would use the report to try and press Macedonia,s 
Euro-Atlantic aspirations forward.  He also noted 
Macedonia,s positive visa liberalization assessment and 
indicated that Macedonia could receive visa liberalization as 
soon as January 1, 2010.  Ambassador Lavall noted that visa 
liberalization could become complicated however if Serbia did 
not receive liberalization. Border control issues between 
Serbia and Macedonia would then become a factor that could 
adversely affect liberalization for Macedonia.  On a separate 
note, he positively pointed out that Greece had so far given 
no indication that it would attempt to hinder Macedonia,s 
visa liberalization aspirations in any way.  Ambassador 
Reeker emphasized the importance of visa liberalization for 
improving Macedonia,s overall confidence and broadening its 
international awareness in general.  He noted that U.S. 
Embassy Skopje had been trying to increase programs to send 
Macedonians abroad in an effort to expand Macedonia,s world 
view and ultimately increase desire for international 
cooperation and inclusion. 
 
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INTERETHNIC ISSUES 
------------------ 
 
SKOPJE 00000269  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
5.(C) Ambassador Lavall wanted to know whether 
ethnic-Albanian dissatisfaction presented any sort of threat 
to Macedonia,s progress.  Ambassador Reeker explained that 
the ethnic-Albanian community was currently very fractured 
and felt excluded from the Government.  He noted the GOM,s 
lack of interest in effectively implementing the Ohrid 
Framework Agreement, recent concerns voiced by the 
ethnic-Albanian parties over the GOM,s intention to equip 
the Ministry of Interior with military helicopters and 
weapons, the GOM,s recent diplomatic snubs of Kosovo 
President Sediju, and rumors that DUI would be leaving the 
government coalition very soon.  Ambassador Reeker said he 
did not believe rumors about DUI leaving the coalition in the 
immediate future or have concerns that Macedonia was on the 
verge of imminent interethnic conflict, but noted that the 
situation could deteriorate very quickly.  Ambassador Reeker 
pointed out that DUI had recently implied that the government 
had a five month deadline for the resolution of the name 
issue before DUI sought other options.  Ambassador Reeker 
also noted the possibility that the PM might use DUI leaving 
the coalition as an excuse for another round of parliamentary 
elections. 
NAVRATIL