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id: 247459 date: 2/5/2010 13:28 refid: 10BELGRADE21 origin: Embassy Belgrade classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 10STATE9661 header: 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 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY ANKARA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO AMCONSUL ALMATY AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 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" BELGRADE 00000021 002 OF 004 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
