VZCZCXRO7550
RR RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHBW #0021/01 0361328
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 051328Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0705
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BELGRADE 000021 
 
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/05 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SR BK KV HR MW US
SUBJECT: Ambassador's February 2 Meeting with Serbian Foreign 
Minister Jeremic: 2010 is the "Year of Solutions" 
 
REF: STATE 9661 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Deborah Mennuti, Chief of Political Section, State, 
POL; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
Summary 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶1.  (C) During their first meeting on February 2, Foreign Minister 
Jeremic reinforced President Tadic's recent statements that 2010 
would be the "Year of Solutions" for the Western Balkans.  When 
pressed for details, however, the "solutions" appear linked to the 
expectation that other parties would largely acquiesce to Serbian 
positions, rather than any significant movement by Serbia: 
 
 
 
-- Kosovo - Will require a solution that is less "humiliating for 
Serbia," including  a continued insistence on Kosovo participation 
in multilateral fora only with a UN representative. 
 
 
 
-- Croatia - Agreed the election of incoming President Josipovic 
presents a new opportunity to engage on difficult issues, but with 
the expectation that Croatia should admit to ethnic cleansing in 
the Krajina ("how else can you describe the exodus of 250,000 
Serbs?"). 
 
 
 
-- Montenegro - "Truly our brothers, but Serbs are seriously 
discriminated against in state hiring and we will not accept that." 
 
 
 
 
¶2.  (C) Jeremic was most productive when talking about 
Bosnia-Herzegovina, saying the upcoming Srebrenica resolution was 
"strategic" in its explicit recognition of Bosnia-Herzegovina's 
sovereignty and territorial integrity in its entirety (including 
Republika Srpska).  End Summary. 
 
 
 
EU - Our Priority 
 
----------------- 
 
 
 
¶3.  (C) In a break from tradition and protocol, Foreign Minister 
Jeremic hosted the Ambassador for her first meeting with him at a a 
highly visible lunch at the Madera Restaurant in the heart of 
Belgrade.  (During a subsequent meeting, Defense Minister Sutanovac 
--who "coincidentally" was attending a lunch there at the same time 
-- noted that it was the first time he had ever seen Jeremic at 
Madera.)  Extolling the successes of 2009, Jeremic said 
metaphorically, "We climbing up the ATP ratings and we won't let 
our rating drop in 2010."  Clearly taking credit for EU visa 
liberalization, the EU Interim Trade Agreement and submission of 
Serbia's candidacy for the EU, Jeremic complained that 
consideration of Serbia's candidacy might be delayed until June. 
"March would be better," he said, noting that the EU Council could 
choose to act on Serbia's application at almost any time.  In 
response to the Ambassador's comment that the next report of War 
Crimes Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz on Serbian cooperation with 
the International War Crimes Tribunal would likely be important for 
assessing next steps, Jeremic asked what further proof the EU 
needed to demonstrate that Serbia was doing everything possible to 
catch war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic.  The Ambassador noted that 
capturing Mladic remained the most important objective.  Jeremic 
characterized his recent trip to Brussels where he met European 
High Representative for Foreign Affairs Ashton down as "successful" 
 
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and said he was pleased with her interest in the Western Balkans, 
in particular in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while hoping that any visit by 
Ashton to the region would include a stop in Belgrade. 
 
 
 
U.S. Congress a Priority, Too 
 
----------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4.  (C) Jeremic confirmed his plans to travel to the United States 
February 24-25 and said his focus would be nurturing the 
Congressional Serbian caucus.   Saying he did not need the 
Department's support for the Hill, Jeremic requested help in 
setting up meetings with the NSC and with EUR A/S Gordon.  He said 
he also hoped to give a lecture either at George Washington or 
Georgetown University.  In response to the Ambassador's review of 
upcoming CODELS Voinovich/Shaheen and Pomeroy to Belgrade in 
mid-February, Jeremic said he welcomed all congressional visits to 
Serbia and would do his best to meet with all of them.  Jeremic 
said he hoped that official visits would continue between Serbia 
and the United States "at high levels and more frequently." 
Referring to the Vice President's message to "agree to disagree on 
Kosovo," Jeremic said he looked forward to improved bilateral 
relations in all other areas. 
 
 
 
Regional Relations 
 
------------------ 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) Jeremic agreed with the Ambassador's assessment that Serbia 
was key to keeping the Balkans democratic and stable and asserted 
that Serbia's reaction to Kosovo's Unilateral Declaration of 
Independence in 2008 had been a landmark in Balkan history.  "For 
600 years, the response to such acts was war.  This is the first 
time an actor in the region has responded with legal and diplomatic 
tools and not armies."  (Comment:  Serbian interlocutors seem deaf 
to the effect such comments have on western ears and still insist 
they should be praised for not resorting to violence.  End 
Comment.) 
 
 
 
¶6.  (C) The Ambassador conveyed the points in reftel demarche, 
emphasizing U.S. opposition to any prospective plans by Serbia to 
introduce an UNGA resolution that might call for the reopening of 
status talks on Kosovo following the International Court of 
Justice's advisory opinion later this year.  She called for Serbia 
to work toward addressing outstanding practical issues in Kosovo 
and to begin consideration of a constructive way forward post-ICJ 
that would not lead to instability in the region.  Without offering 
specifics, Jeremic insisted that Serbia would take a responsible 
course, fully mindful of its regional responsibilities, while 
complaining that the current situation was "humiliating for 
Serbia." 
 
 
 
¶7.  (C) At the same time, Jeremic emphasized the President's desire 
to seek positive solutions to outstanding issues in 2010 and said 
Serbia intended to be more helpful, for example, in getting Kosovo 
officials to the table in international fora and in dealing with 
customs and judicial issues in Kosovo.  His solution for Kosovo for 
participation in international fora was simple, he said:  a UN 
representative would need to be present to utter one brief sentence 
of introduction.   In addition Jeremic said Serbia could accept 
simple nameplates, with first and last names, but no state 
designation.  Jeremic did not offer specifics as to how he saw 
 
BELGRADE 00000021  003 OF 004 
 
 
customs and justice cooperation proceeding, saying these issues 
were the bailiwick of the Kosovo Ministry. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (C) Jeremic said he was currently more concerned about about 
developments during the pre-ICJ period, citing recent problems 
connected with the visits of senior Serbian officials to Kosovo, 
including Minister for Kosovo Affairs Bogdanovic.  Bogdanovic, he 
insisted, was a resident of northern Kosovo who had every "right" 
to travel to his home.  He also said it would be very unfortunate 
if Kosovo officials chose not to facilitate the April 25 
installation of the new Patriarch in the Pec Patriarchate.  The 
Ambassador emphasized the importance of ensuring that the visits of 
all Serbian officials to Kosovo be notified in advance through 
established procedures, while assuring Jeremic that we were 
encouraging Kosovo officials to facilitate such visits whenever 
possible.  She assured Jeremic that we were already in contact with 
our mission in Pristina about the Patriarch's installation as well 
as the February 6-7 planned visit of Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas 
to the Decani Monastery.  Jeremic also complained about the leaked 
"Feith Plan" for integrating the North into Kosovo, asserting that 
it would "cause mayhem."  A new reality could not be created in the 
North, he said.  "We will behave," said Jeremic, "but you and the 
EU have to acknowledge that Kosovo is a special place for us." 
 
 
 
¶9.  (C) Responding to the Ambassador's recommendation for renewed 
dialogue with Croatia on outstanding issues, Jeremic welcomed the 
recent election of Croatian President Josipovic, commenting that 
Josipovic and President Tadic already had good relations.  "Anyway 
anyone's better than (current Croatian President) Mesic."  Jeremic 
agreed that improved Croatian-Serbian relations were key to 
addressing stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.  He said 
that the Serbian refugee issue would continue to plague bilateral 
relations with Croatia, but acknowledged the potential for progress 
on a range of issues at the technical level, and welcomed U.S. 
support, including the early March visit of PRM DAS Robinson. 
Still, he insisted that "Serbia does not have sole responsibility 
for the 1990's," adding, "How can you describe the exodus in 1995 
of 250,000 Serbs from Croatia other than ethnic cleansing?" 
 
 
 
¶10.  (C) Jeremic described Montenegro as Serbia's closest neighbor 
and said Serbs considered Montenegrins their brothers.  He 
dismissed Montenegro's recent establishment of diplomatic relations 
with Kosovo as unfortunate, but less troubling than Montenegro's 
treatment of its Serb minority population. "Serbs constitute 35% of 
Montenegro's population and the state remains the biggest employer 
there; yet only 6% of state employees are Serbs; this is 
unacceptable."  Jeremic also cited Montenegro's struggle with 
organized crime as a danger to Serbian stability. 
 
 
 
Srebrenica Resolution 
 
--------------------- 
 
 
 
¶11.  (C) Responding to the Ambassador's appreciation of Serbian 
engagement with the parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jeremic 
confirmed this would continue, while highlighting the Serbian 
Parliament's consideration of a Srebrenica Resolution as a 
strategic turning point.  Claiming that the MFA had drafted the 
resolution, Jeremic said the text contained language explicitly 
supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of 
Bosnia-Herzegovina "in its entirely."  Jeremic said this was the 
most significant element in the resolution, adding that he had 
consulted with Bosnian Presidency Member Haris Siljdzic, who 
supported the gesture.  Jeremic said Republika Srpska Prime 
 
BELGRADE 00000021  004 OF 004 
 
 
Minister Milorad Dodik, "doesn't like" the resolution, and said he 
planned to travel to Turkey on February 9 to consult on the 
resolution and constitutional reform in Bosnia.  Jeremic brushed 
off Dodik's threats on holding a referendum to determine Republika 
Srpska's future saying, "don't freak out about the referendum, it's 
not about secession, it goes more to re-affirming the RS's entity 
status." 
 
 
 
¶12.  (SBU) On a personal note, Jeremic told the Ambassador he was 
half Bosniak and that he had had relatives killed in Srebrenica. 
(Note:  Jeremic's mother is the sister of former Bosnian Federal 
Presidency Member Hamdija Pozderac.  End Note.)  Jeremic also 
commented that Serbia welcomed Bosnia's new candidate for 
ambassador to Serbia, Borisa Arnaut, saying Bosnia had gone too 
long without an ambassador in Belgrade. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶13.  (C) Jeremic's choice of such a high-profile venue for his 
first meeting with the Ambassador is as telling as his comments. 
He clearly is seeking  a fresh start  and wants to be seen in 
public as a friend of the United States.  While significant 
challenges remain, we should seek to take advantage of this 
potential new opening and continue to explore at every opportunity 
constructive thinking about the post-ICJ period - which may be the 
real test of his stated commitment  to President Tadic's  plan of 
making 2010 the year of solutions.  End Comment. 
WARLICK