US embassy cable - 04ROME2452

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002452 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2014 
TAGS: PREL, AL, HR, MK, IT, NATO 
SUBJECT: ALBANIANS MAKING THE ROUNDS ON ISTANBUL SUMMIT 
STATEMENT 
 
REF: USNATO 591 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: A/POLMIN GARY ROBBINS.  REASON: 1.5 (B)(D). 
 
1. (C) ACTING ON INSTRUCTIONS, ALBANIAN EMBASSY DCM SAKO 
MIROSH CONTINUED HIS GOVERNMENT'S PUSH (REFTEL) FOR A FORWARD 
LEANING STATEMENT AT THE ISTANBUL SUMMIT, WHICH WOULD EXTEND 
ALBANIA, CROATIA AND MACEDONIA "THE MEMBERSHIP INVITATION IN 
THE NEXT ENLARGEMENT SUMMIT."  SAKO PRESENTED TO A/POLMIN 
GARY ROBBINS A COMPLETE SUGGESTED PARAGRAPH FOR INCLUSION IN 
THE ISTANBUL DOCUMENT (SEE PARA 4 FOR TEXT).  SAKO WAS UNSURE 
WHETHER THE STATEMENT HAD BEEN COORDINATED WITH SKOPJE AND 
ZAGREB.  HE DID SAY THAT HIS COUNTERPARTS WOULD BE DELIVERING 
THE SAME DEMARCHE IN NATO CAPITALS.   HE SAID HIS OWN 
DEMARCHE TO THE ITALIAN MFA WAS MET WITH A PROMISE TO "DO 
WHAT WE CAN" BY BALKANS OFFICE DIRECTOR ANDREA ORIZIO, WHO 
CAUTIONED SAKO THAT THE DECISION ON HOW THE THREE ASPIRANTS 
WERE TREATED IN THE STATEMENT WAS NOT UP TO THE US AND ITALY 
ALONE.  (POLOFF LATER CONFIRMED THIS READOUT WITH ORIZIO.) 
 
2. (C) SAKO JUSTIFIED HIS GOVERNMENT'S REQUEST BY NOTING 
RECENT PROGRESS ON MILITARY RESTRUCTURING, AND SUPPORT FOR 
NATO ACCESSION AMONG ALBANIANS, WHICH ACCORDING TO SAKO IS AT 
OVER 90 PERCENT.  HE POINTED OUT ALBANIA'S ROLE IN REGIONAL 
STABILITY, INCLUDING SAM DEFMIN DAVINIC'S JUNE 22 VISIT TO 
TIRANA, THE FIRST TIME IN MANY YEARS A DEFENSE MINISTER FROM 
BELGRADE HAD VISITED TIRANA.  SAKO UNDERLINED THE SACRIFICES 
A POOR COUNTRY SUCH AS ALBANIA MUST MAKE IN DEPLOYING 
MILITARY UNITS TO IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN AND BOSNIA, AND HOPED 
THAT THIS CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE RECOGNIZED IN ISTANBUL. 

3. (C) REITERATING AMB. BURNS' APPRECIATION FOR ALBANIA'S 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO REGIONAL STABILITY AND THE GLOBAL WAR ON 
TERROR (REFTEL), ROBBINS POINTED OUT THAT ALBANIA SHOULD 
FOCUS ON ITS MAP PROGRESS AND CAUTIONED THAT AT THIS LATE 
POINT IT COULD BE DIFFICULT TO GARNER CONSENSUS ON INCLUDING 
THE SUGGESTED LANGUAGE IN THE ISTANBUL DOCUMENT.  SAKO ALSO 
REGISTERED ROBBINS' POINT THAT RECEIVING AN ACCESSION DATE AT 
THIS STAGE WOULD PRESUPPOSE MAP SUCCESS FOR THE ASPIRANTS. 
 
4. (SBU)  BEGIN SUGGESTED ALBANIAN TEXT: 
HAILING THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE ALLIANCE WITH SEVEN NEW 
MEMBERS AND APPRECIATING THE PROGRESS ACHIEVED FROM THE THREE 
ASPIRANT COUNTRIES, WE EXTEND OUR WISH THAT THEY RECEIVE THE 
MEMBERSHIP INVITATION IN THE NEXT ENLARGEMENT SUMMIT.  END 
TEXT. 
 
VISIT ROME'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: 
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SEMBLER 
 
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 2004ROME02452 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL