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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK
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DE RUEHBW #1438/01 3361611
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021609Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0440
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 001438 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE (P. PETERSON) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SR
SUBJECT: SERBIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES VOJVODINA STATUTE 
 
REF: BELGRADE 276 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Summary 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Serbia's National Assembly passed the Vojvodina Statute 
and Law on Transfer of Competencies on November 30, ending a year 
of controversy between ultra-nationalists who claim the Statute is 
a step toward secession of the autonomous province and proponents 
of increased autonomy.  After some internal coalition compromises 
on specific provisions, both the Statute and the Law passed easily, 
with the Liberal Democratic Party joining coalition parties and 
many opposition MPs not even showing up for the vote.  The debate 
in the National Assembly and opposition reactions after the vote 
reflected rhetoric over the past year, but a protest organized by 
the Serbian Radical Party drew only a handful of participants. 
Next, the National Assembly will need to pass a law providing 
funding for the Statute's implementation.  Passage of the 
legislation was almost a non-event, with the public once again 
showing it is less susceptible to ultra-nationalist rhetoric than 
the government fears.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Movement on Statute after Year's Delay 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Passage of the Vojvodina Statute, the governing 
legislation of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, followed a 
delay of more than a year (reftel).  The Vojvodina Assembly passed 
the draft Statute, as required by the 2006 Constitution, in October 
2008 and forwarded it to the government.  (The Statute replaces the 
current Statute and grants Vojvodina some increased jurisdiction 
over areas such as health, environment, and agriculture.)  After an 
initial period of public debate in late 2008, the government tabled 
the draft Statute and the related Law on Transfer of Competencies 
of Vojvodina.  On November 9, League of Vojvodina Social Democrats 
(LSV) leader Nenad Canak told us the delay had been due to the 
Democratic Party's fears that the public would respond to the 
opposition's rhetoric and that President Tadic had finally chosen 
to move the Statute forward to demonstrate to the EU progress on 
decentralization.  Vojvodina Assembly President's Advisor Snezana 
Kresoja (LSV) explained to us that the delay had paralyzed 
Vojvodina for a year, and the government had realized it needed to 
take action before the next Vojvodina budget was due. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) On November 3, the government published the draft Law, 
with some differences from the Vojvodina Assembly's original draft 
Statute, including using the term "Executive Council" instead of 
"government," not providing for an Academy of Arts and Sciences, 
and not clarifying Vojvodina's ownership of public property. 
Coalition partners Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and LSV 
immediately demanded contradictory changes to the text, with for 
example SPS objecting to Novi Sad being called Vojvodina's capital 
(literally "main city" in Serbian), and LSV insisting on the 
terminology.  Prime Minister Cvetkovic met with officials from both 
parties, and the government made changes to the Law, such as 
calling Novi Sad the "main, administrative city," which satisfied 
both LSV and SPS.  Canak called the reconciliation process "kabuki 
theater" to give all coalition parties political cover with their 
constituents. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) The government adopted both the Law and an amended Statute 
on November 5, and the Vojvodina Assembly approved the changes 
required to harmonize the Statute with the Law on November 7. 
Kresoja told us the Statute was not ideal and did not represent 
true autonomy but would contribute to Serbia's decentralization and 
was the best Vojvodina could achieve for the time being. 
 
 
 
Statute Passes Easily, But Not Without a Shoe 
 
BELGRADE 00001438  002 OF 002 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) The National Assembly began debating both the Law and 
Statute on November 24 and passed both on November 30.  Prime 
Minister Cvetkovic introduced the Law and Statute, pointing out 
that they were both constitutional and outlining some of the 
competencies Vojvodina would assume.  The ultra-nationalist 
opposition demanded the government withdraw the Statute, claiming 
it was unconstitutional and a step toward disintegration of Serbia. 
The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) posted a banner on the Pancevo 
Bridge to Vojvodina reading "Stop the Separatist Statute."  Serbian 
Progressive Party (SNS) head Tomislav Nikolic questioned why 
Vojvodina had to be "singled out" with its own Statute, which 
resembled the Constitution.  The debate turned acrimonious on the 
second day, with deputy speaker Gordana Comic (DS) turning off MPs' 
microphones at times.  The vitriol from the opposition culminated 
in Serbian Radical Party (SRS) MP Gordana Pop Lazic throwing a shoe 
at Comic on November 27.  Opposition Liberal Democratic Party 
members announced their intention to vote for the legislation but 
noted that it represented a compromise and was not the best 
solution for citizens.  On November 30, 163 out of 250 MPs voted, 
since only 24 opposition MPs were present.  Of the 163 MPs present, 
138 voted for the Law on Transfer of Competencies and 137 voted for 
the Statute. 
 
 
 
Reactions 
 
--------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Public reaction was muted except for predictable 
responses from the opposition.  The SRS called for "the righteous 
forces of all political options" to protest November 30.  A few 
dozen individuals gathered in front of the National Assembly 
building as the vote took place.  Protestors included members of 
the ultra-nationalist organization 1389, DSS, and members of the 
Movement of Socialists founded by former Yugoslav Left official 
Aleksandar Vulin. 
 
 
 
Next Steps 
 
---------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  (U) The Law on Transfer of Competencies will take effect 
January 1, 2010.  The Statute requires a two-thirds vote of the 
Vojvodina Assembly to come into force.  The National Assembly also 
must pass a Law on Financing, allocating Vojvodina the funds for 
its activities, and a Law on Property, clarifying Vojvodina's 
ownership of public property.  The timeline for this legislation is 
not yet known. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Despite the opposition's efforts to create controversy, 
the passage of the Statute was anti-climactic.  The public outside 
of Vojvodina does not seem to have noticed the debate over the past 
year nor cared much about the final decision.  The government's own 
anxiety over the Statute highlights its fear of ultra-nationalist 
rhetoric and hesitance to try to shape public opinion, but once 
again the lack of reaction shows that much of this rhetoric gains 
no traction with a public more concerned with everyday life.  It 
did not hurt that news about the legislation's passage was buried 
by headlines about visa free travel to the EU. The Statute does 
grant Vojvodina increased jurisdiction over a number of areas and 
represents an important, albeit not perfect, step toward the 
decentralization Serbia will need to show in its EU accession 
process.  End Comment. 
BRUSH