US embassy cable - 05LJUBLJANA152

C O N F I D E N T I A L  LJUBLJANA 000152 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR EUR/NCE, EUR/RPM (HOLTZ), EUR/ERA AND EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, SI, HR, OSCE, KO, RU 
SUBJECT: KOSOVO/WESTERN BALKANS, CROATIA'S EU ACCESSION, 
OSCE AND PROPOSED JANSA VISIT TO WASHINGTON FEATURE 
PROMINENTLY IN EUR/NCE DIRECTOR GARVEY'S MEETINGS IN 
LJUBLJANA 
 
 
Classified By: Dean J. Haas, DCM, for reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  EUR/NCE Director Janet Garvey held a series 
of meetings in Ljubljana 4 March with key Slovenian 
interlocuters.  Issues raised included: 
 
-- Slovenia's interest in working toward a final agreement on 
Kosovo this year; 
-- the priority Slovenia places on its relationships with its 
Southeastern European neighbors and their efforts to join EU 
and NATO; 
-- Slovenia's OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office and the way forward 
with the Russians; 
-- Slovenia's path toward adoption of the Euro and managing a 
Schengen border; and, 
-- the importance of getting Prime Minister Jansa to 
Washington for a meeting with President Bush this fall. 
 
Garvey also heard a spirited read-out from former FM (now 
Presidential advisor) Vajgl on his meeting that morning with 
the Croatian Ambassador on his country's efforts to meet EU 
demands for the turnover of Ante Gotovina prior to the formal 
start of accession negotiations 17 March. END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) Janet Garvey, EUR/NCE Office Director, visited 
Ljubljana 3-4 March to familiarize herself with Embassy 
operations and personnel and to meet with key Slovene players 
to discuss bilateral relations and Slovenian foreign policy 
priorities.  On 4 March, Garvey met with the following 
officials: 
 
-- Andrej Logar, MFA Director General (Acting), Bilateral and 
EU Affairs 
-- Marija Adanja, State Undersecretary, MFA EU Office 
-- Boris Frlec, Chair, MFA OSCE Task Force 
-- Borut Mahnic, State Undersecretary, MFA Security Policy 
Division (NATO) 
-- Andrej Rahten, Chief International Affairs Advisor to PM 
Jansa 
-- Ivo Vajgl and Melita Gabric, International Affairs 
Advisors to President Drnovsek 
-- Vojislav Suc, MFA State Undersecretary for North and Latin 
America 
 
3.  (C) Garvey's Slovene interlocuters presented a fairly 
united front on a handful of issues, including Kosovo, the 
western Balkans, OSCE and PM Jansa's desire to visit 
Washington in the fall.  The only "curveball" came in her 
meeting with President Drnovsek's foreign policy team when 
former FM Ivo Vajgl gave a rather blunt readout of a meeting 
he had just come from with the Croatian Ambassador to 
Slovenia on the upcoming date for the start of EU accession 
negotiations and the requirement that "full cooperation" with 
the ICTY meant turning over Ante Gotovina to The Hague 
tribunal. (see para 6) 
 
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KOSOVO 
------- 
 
4.  (C)  Acting DG Logar told Garvey that the U.S. is seen 
favorably in Kosovo and suggested that it needed to take 
advantage of this positive sentiment emanating from a largely 
Muslim population, particularly given anti-U.S. feelings 
among Muslims elsewhere in the world.  Slovenia's policy on 
Kosovo is that there is no going back to pre-1999 conditions, 
and that no partition of Kosovo is acceptable nor is any 
attachment of it to another country.  Logar mentioned EUR DAS 
Kathy Stephens' upcoming trip to Prague and Budapest to 
discuss Kosovo and urged Garvey to suggest that Stephens make 
a stop in Ljubljana as well.  Frlec, the OSCE TF Chief, 
called Kosovo "a ticking bomb" that should not be forgotten 
and outlined Slovenia's efforts in the OSCE context to work 
on the issue.  Presidential Advisor Gabric termed U.S. 
involvement "important" in Kosovo and throughout southeastern 
Europe because the countries involved "understand what is 
backing the words of the Americans."  (COMMENT:  We suspect 
Kosovo was high on FM Rupel's list of talking points for his 
7 March meeting with the Secretary.  END COMMENT.) 
 
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CROATIA'S EU ACCESSION 
---------------------- 
 
5.  (C)  Logar told Garvey that Slovenia would like to see 
Croatia in the EU as soon as possible, however, "full 
cooperation" with the ICTY is a critical pre-condition and 
"full cooperation means full cooperation," and Gotovina must 
be turned over first.  If this does not happen, the wrong 
signal will be sent to other states seeking to join the EU 
and NATO.  Logar said that 17 March is a "flexible date" to 
begin accession negotiations with Croatia.  The Luxembourg 
Presidency has floated the idea of postponing the start of 
negotiations to 22 June, according to Logar. 
 
6.  (C)  Vajgl entered his meeting with Garvey late and was 
clearly worked up over the meeting he had just come from 
during which the Croatian Ambassador to Slovenia had 
presented to Vajgl a letter for President Drnovsek co-signed 
by the "three Presidents" of Croatia (State, Government, 
Parliament).  According to Vajgl, the letter restated 
Croatia's commitment to cooperating with the ICTY and to 
surrendering Gotovina, but also asked in strong terms that 
the accession negotiations begin on 17 March.  Vajgl told 
Garvey that he had taken advantage of the meeting to give the 
Croatian Ambassador some "advice."  Vajgl said he told the 
Ambassador the Croatians were showing "too much self 
confidence", something Slovenia had been accused of in its 
own NATO and EU accession processes, but that Croatia was far 
worse than Slovenia ever was.  "It is in their mentality." 
Vajgl continued, "it is pride."  Vajgl conceded that there is 
"85 percent opposition in Croatia to giving up Gotovina."  He 
said that Croatia is "trying to set the conditions" rather 
than respect those which have been set for it.   Vajgl's 
counterpart, Melita Gabric, who had not attended the meeting 
with the Croatian Ambassador, seemed to want to spin Vajgl's 
comments a bit more diplomatically when she interjected, "the 
culture of compromise is not widespread in the Balkans."  She 
added, "we do support Croatia but (it) must meet the EU 
criteria."  She reluctantly concluded, however, that "Croatia 
(often) sells more form than substance." 
 
7.  (C) In her meeting with Garvey, EU Office Director Adanja 
(who is quickly becoming one of the Embassy's most reliable, 
well-briefed, articulate and cordial contacts) sagely noted 
that "Croatia seems to prefer advice from others besides 
Slovenia."  She reiterated, though, that there is close 
cooperation between the two countries and that it is in 
Slovenia's national interests to see the EU accession process 
"speed up" for all western Balkan nations, without 
sacrificing the requirement for ICTY cooperation from each. 
 
8.  (C) NOTE:   PM Jansa and Croatian PM Sanader held a 
surprise Sunday meeting 6 March to discuss bilateral issues. 
The Slovene News Agency reported after the meeting, "Sanadar 
acquainted Jansa with Croatia's efforts to cooperate with the 
ICTY...Jansa said he hoped the new assurances and proof 
presented by Croatia to the EU would be taken into account 
when Croatia's European prospects are considered."  END NOTE. 
 
--- 
EU 
--- 
 
9.  (SBU)  Adanja indicated that full entry into Schengen was 
very important to Slovenia and it is doing everything 
possible to meets its goal of late 2006 implementation.  She 
acknowledged that autumn 2007 is a more likely date given 
what she termed to be "delays" in Brussels on full Schengen 
implementation in new member states.  In reply to a Garvey 
question, Adanja said she expects Slovenia to have a "special 
arrangement" with Croatia to ensure smooth cross-border 
travel.  With regard to adoption of the Euro, Adanja 
confirmed that Slovenia appears on track for an early 2007 
transition with the only remaining concern centering around 
domestic inflation rates.  A top current priority for Adanja 
and her team are the negotiations on the EU financial 
perspective.  Slovenia is very close to the line between 
donor and recipient countries in the EU context and domestic 
political pressure to remain recipient status is strong. 
 
----------------------- 
OSCE (AND THE RUSSIANS) 
----------------------- 
 
10.  (C)  OSCE TF Chair Frlec provided Garvey an overview of 
 
Slovenia's OSCE priorities, including reaching an agreement 
on the budget/scales of assessment, working with the 
Russians, coordinating the work of the Eminent Persons panel, 
and getting the most out of the OSCE's "flexibility" and its 
17 field missions. 
 
11.  (C)  Frlec described the current impasse with the 
Russians as being "deeply political" in nature.  "It comes 
from Putin."  Frlec said his team is seeking to listen to the 
Russians and find ways to bridge concerns.  "Slovenia is in a 
position to get results.  They (the Russians) like us and are 
sorry we have to deal with these problems."  He said that one 
particular irritant for Russia is that it sees itself as a 
partner when dealing  with the EU, NATO and the Council of 
Europe but senses that in the OSCE the participating states 
all agree and "then provide them an ultimatum."  Frlec senses 
a slight "softening" in Moscow's attitude and approach after 
the President's meeting wtih President Putin in Bratislava. 
He said FM Lavrov's recent letter on scales of assessment, 
while "still not acceptable," did show some movement.  FM/CiO 
Rupel would like to move forward on Russian proposals for 
conferences on military doctrines and energy security.  Rupel 
will seek to get Secretary Rice's concurrence for these 
conferences during their meeting in Washington.  Garvey 
stressed to Frlec the importance of "speaking with one voice" 
to the Russians. 
 
12.  (C) Earlier, Logar had expressed his own frustrations 
with the Russians, acknowledging that Slovenia needed to get 
them on board in the OSCE, but also opining that Putin and 
his "circle" are "former KGB" and their mentality and outlook 
"haven't really changed."  Logar says he senses strongly that 
the Russian MFA is not making the key decisions on OSCE or 
other key matters, but rather Putin's inner circle is in 
charge.  He said the Russians know that "what happened in 
Georgia and Ukraine could happen in Moldova next" and this 
exacerbates the reactions from Moscow. 
 
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GETTING JANSA TO WASHINGTON 
---------------------------- 
 
13.  (C)  Logar, Adanja, Rahten, Vajgl and Gabric all 
commented very positively on the President's recent trip to 
Europe and the opportunities it provides for the 
U.S./European relationship.  Rahten called it a "good, 
impressive sign" and was glad to see the optimistic message 
that came out of the meetings, especially in Brussels.  He 
added that Slovenia "supports the U.S. mission to enlarge 
democracy" in the Middle East. 
 
14.  (C)  All senior interlocuters (in lockstep) delivered 
one other important message:  please help us get a meeting 
for PM Jansa with President Bush this fall.  The Prime 
Minister hopes to travel to Washington for a series of 
meetings and appearances.  Logar stressed how much the new 
Slovene government wants to be a "credible, strategic 
partner" of the U.S. and pointed to Slovenia's support of 
recent NATO and EU decisions regarding support to Iraq.  He 
added that "Slovenia will support and be active in efforts on 
Iraq." 
ROBERTSON 
 
 
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 2005LJUBLJ00152 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL 


 
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