Published by Wikileaks & Bivol.bg
date: 8/21/2009 13:20 refid: 09SKOPJE411 origin: Embassy Skopje classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: header: VZCZCXRO8167 PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR DE RUEHSQ #0411/01 2331320 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 211320Z AUG 09 FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8480 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0549 RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC ----------------- header ends ---------------- C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000411 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/19/2014 TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, MK SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: AHMETI RATES STATE OF AFFAIRS A "FOUR OUT OF TEN" Classified By: AMBASSADOR PHILIP REEKER FOR REASONS 1.5 (b) and (d). 1. (C) Summary: Following the commemoration of the 8th Anniversary of the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, Ambassador Reeker joined DUI leader Ali Ahmeti at his family sheep station deep in the mountains of western Macedonia on August 16. Ahmeti was critical of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, expressed concerns over Intelligence Chief Sasho Mialkov's disdain towards the ethnic Albanian community, and noted President Ivanov's relative lack of power. Ahmeti assessed the country's current state of affairs and commented on Menduh Thaci's latest antics. He also expressed his dissatisfaction with Gruevski's religious agenda and had harsh words for Islamic Community of Macedonia (ICM) President Sulejman Rexhepi. Ahmeti presented two project ideas to the Ambassador and asked for U.S. support. (End Summary) ------------------------------------------ Critical of Gruevski and His Inner Circle ------------------------------------------ 2. (C) Prime Minister Gruevski is too young and his youth is reflected in his decision making, according to Ahmeti. Ahmeti said that he warned the Prime Minister to resolve the name issue with Greece and establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo a long time ago, otherwise relations with Serbia and Bulgaria would also become problematic. Ahmeti asked Ambassador Reeker to put more public pressure on the PM to resolve the name issue. The Ambassador noted that we need to calibrate public comments to avoid exacerbating Gruevski's insecurities and that behind the scenes actions can often be more effective. 3. (C) Ahmeti was also concerned that Security and Counter-Intelligence Director Sasho Mijalkov has too much influence over his cousin, the PM. He noted that Mijalkov has made remarks in government meetings expressing his deep disdain for the ethnic Albanian community. He is worried that Mijalkov has the contacts and desire to provoke rogue ethnic Albanian elements in Macedonia into creating problems, which Mijalkov could use to justify broad action against the ethnic Albanian community at large. Though mostly critical of Gruevski's inner-circle, Ahmeti said President Ivanov actually seemed like a "good guy," but felt that he was "more of a professor than a president" and lacked real power as a de facto subordinate of the Prime Minister. ---------------- How's it Going? ---------------- 4. (C) When asked to rate the current state of affairs in Macedonia between one and ten (ten being ideal and zero being 2001) Ahmeti rated Macedonia a 4 or 5. He said ethnic Macedonians still believed the country was theirs alone. He pointed to the lack of official use of the Albanian language throughout the country and the lack of equitable representation of ethnic Albanians in leadership positions in government as the two biggest issues for the ethnic Albanian community. He noted that during DUI's previous government coalition with SDSM, DUI controlled stronger Ministries than it controls now. Ahmeti said overcoming the name issue and joining NATO would make it easier to focus on the other interethnic issues and would alleviate a lot of the mounting frustrations in the minds of ethnic Albanians. --------------- Thaci's Antics --------------- 5. (C) DPA leader Menduh Thaci's New Agreement (proposed to replace the Ohrid Framework Agreement), his most recent boycott of Parliament and his announcement that he will ask Albania to veto Macedonia's NATO bid are all indications of Thaci's gradual marginalization, according to Ahmeti. However, he believes Thaci's behavior has become more erratic and could threaten the stability of Macedonia. Ahmeti noted he would meet with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha on August 19 and said he would reiterate that the ethnic Albanian community in Macedonia did not support Thaci's call for a NATO veto. (Comment: Overall support among citizens of Macedonia for NATO membership remains around 95% according to recent IRI polling. Among ethnic Albanians, the figure may be closer to 100%. End Comment) Ahmeti told the Ambassador that he preferred New Democracy leader Imer Selmani to Thaci as the primary ethnic Albanian opposition voice. He felt Selmani at least represented a constructive and reasonable SKOPJE 00000411 002 OF 002 opposition. He also said Selmani was very close to Gruevski and the two visit each other's homes. ------------------------------- "More Churches Than Believers" ------------------------------- 6. (C) Ahmeti said he has a very different perspective from the PM on matters of religion. He does not agree with the PM's political-religious agenda and insistence on erecting ever more churches and religious symbols. There are more churches and mosques in Macedonia than believers, according to Ahmeti. He believes government money could be spent more effectively on other projects. Ahmeti also asserted that Islamic Community of Macedonia (ICM) President Sulejman Rexhepi-- who recently criticized the Ambassador for meeting with the Sufi Islamic Bektashi Community-- was everything but a believer. Ahmeti called the ICM "God's bureaucracy" and said he does not support it. --------------------------------------------- -------- Consolidating Higher Education and Cleaning the Water --------------------------------------------- -------- 7. (C) Ahmeti mentioned two projects he was considering and asked Ambassador Reeker for his feedback and support. First, Ahmeti said he felt the State University of Tetovo and the private South Eastern European University in Tetovo were essentially duplicating efforts and unnecessarily competing with one another for limited resources. Ahmeti wanted to merge them into one university with state funding and international support. Second, Ahmeti mentioned that he had met with the Mayors of six municipalities located in the mountains south of Skopje to discuss cleaning up the contaminated rivers and lakes that flow into Macedonia's popular local tourist destination, Matka Lake, and eventually into Skopje by way of the Vardar River. He asked the Ambassador if he and EU Special Representative Fouere would also be willing to meet with the mayors and support such a project. Ambassador Reeker made no firm commitments to either project but offered Ahmeti advice on ways to proceed and said the Embassy would consider other ideas as the projects progressed. REEKER
