US embassy cable - 03PRISTINA177

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000177 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE; NSC FOR TEPPER; DOJ FOR PEEBLES 
AND HUDGISON; USAID FOR EE/ECA AND EE/DGSR; USOSCE FOR ODLUM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, KDEM, NATO, YI 
SUBJECT: AAK ADAMANT ON INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION 
 
CLASSIFIED BY COM RENO HARNISH; REASON 1.5 B/D. 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY.  IN A FEBRUARY 6 MEETING MARKED BY FRANK 
EXCHANGES, COM TOLD AAK PRESIDENT HARADINAJ THAT HIS PARTY'S 
DRAFT DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS AN UNWELCOME AND 
POTENTIALLY DESTABILIZING DIVERSION THAT LEAVES THE REAL 
BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT SADLY NEGLECTED.  COM ASKED HARADINAJ 
TO CONSIDER WITHDRAWING IT FROM THE ASSEMBLY AGENDA. 
HARADINAJ ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE DECLARATION HAS NO CHANCE OF 
ENACTMENT THIS YEAR BUT INSISTED ITS PRESENT VALUE WOULD BE 
IN FRAMING A DEBATE THAT WOULD REACH FRUITION IN FUTURE 
YEARS.  HE AGREED THAT KOSOVO'S GOVERNMENT HAD TO DO A BETTER 
JOB AND CONFIDED THAT, TO THIS END, ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT DACI 
IS WORKING WITH BRITISH INTERMEDIARIES TO ARRANGE A MEETING 
IN SWITZERLAND WITH PARLIAMENTARIANS FROM SERBIA TO DISCUSS 
PRAGMATIC ISSUES OF MUTUAL CONCERN.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C) COM, DPO, AND ECON-POL CHIEF MET ON FEBRUARY 6 WITH 
ALLIANCE FOR THE FUTURE OF KOSOVO (AAK) PRESIDENT RAMUSH 
HARADINAJ TO URGE RECONSIDERATION OF HIS PARTY'S DRAFT 
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (ENGLISH TRANSLATION FORWARDED 
PREVIOUSLY).  COM TOLD HARADINAJ THE USG CONSIDERS BOTH THE 
AAK DRAFT AND SERBIAN PM DJINDJIC'S CALL FOR FINAL STATUS 
NEGOTIATIONS TO BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE "MANUFACTURED CRISES" 
THAT ARE PARTICULARLY UNWELCOME IN WASHINGTON AT THIS TIME 
WHEN USG'S FOCUS IS OUT OF EUROPE.  COM SAID NEITHER 
INITIATIVE HAS ANY PROSPECT WHATSOEVER OF GAINING USG 
SUPPORT.  THE MISGUIDED EFFORTS, HE ADDED, STOOD TO BENEFIT 
ONLY EXTREMIST ENEMIES OF PEACE IN KOSOVO WHO WOULD DELIGHT 
IN WATCHING DISCORD GROW BETWEEN KOSOVO'S ALBANIAN AND SERB 
COMMUNITIES.  FINALLY, COM URGED HARADINAJ TO CONSIDER THAT 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S SERIOUS SUPPORT FOR KOSOVO WAS 
NOT BEING MATCHED BY SIMILARLY SERIOUS EFFORT ON THE PART OF 
THE KOSOVARS WHO HEAD THE PROVISIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF 
SELF-GOVERNMENT (PISG).  HE SAID THE KOSOVO ASSEMBLY IN 
PARTICULAR, WITH A FEW NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS, HAD SHOWN LITTLE 
INTEREST AND LESS EXPERTISE IN THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT AND 
URGED HARADINAJ AND COLLEAGUES TO GET ABOUT THE ESSENTIAL IF 
MUNDANE GROUNDWORK NECESSARY TO PRIVATIZATION AND ECONOMIC 
DEVELOPMENT RATHER THAN GRANDSTANDING ON INDEPENDENCE. 
 
3. (C) HARADINAJ REPLIED IN SIMILAR CIVIL YET FRANK TONES. 
TAKING AS HIS POINT OF DEPARTURE THE RECENT SERBIA-MONTENEGRO 
PREAMBLE REFERENCE TO KOSOVO AS PART OF SERBIA, HE SAID "A 
SIMILAR THING HAPPENED IN 1974 WHEN THE FRY CONSTITUTION 
REFERRED TO KOSOVO AS PART BOTH OF YUGOSLAVIA AND SERBIA." 
THEN, AS NOW, HE SAID THE KOSOVARS WERE TOLD THAT THE 
REFERENCE WAS MEANINGLESS BUT KOSOVO THEN SPENT DECADES 
TRYING TO GET OUT OF THOSE BOXES.  THE IC, HE SAID, DID NOT 
GO TO BELGRADE ON THE SERBIA-MONTENEGRO CHARTER AS IT IS NOW 
COMING TO PRISTINA TO SAY, "THIS IS DESTABILIZING; DON'T DO 
THIS."  HE AGREED THE PISG MUST DO A BETTER JOB AND OFFERED 
TO REDOUBLE EFFORTS BUT DID NOT SEE PRAGMATIC GOVERNANCE AS 
INCONSISTENT WITH A DEBATE ON INDEPENDENCE.  HE VOLUNTEERED 
THAT KOSOVO WOULD NOT ACHIEVE INDEPENDENCE THIS YEAR BUT 
INSISTED THAT MOVING THE DISCUSSION IN THIS DIRECTION IS A 
SIGN THAT A "MATURING" AAK IS READY TO "TELL OUR FRIENDS NOT 
JUST WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR."  HE SUGGESTED THAT THE USG 
SHOULD JUST ALLOW THE DECLARATION DEBATE TO UNFOLD SO AS NOT 
TO BE DISTRACTED FROM PRESSING CONCERNS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE 
WORLD.  COM ASSURED HIM THE USG WOULD CONTINUE TO DEVOTE 
ADEQUATE RESOURCES TO KOSOVO AND WOULD NOT STAND BY AND ALLOW 
PRISTINA-BELGRADE TENSIONS TO MOUNT OVER MANUFACTURED CRISES. 
 
PRISTINA-BELGRADE ASSEMBLY INITIATIVE 
------------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) IN REACTION TO COM RECURRING SUGGESTION THAT THE PISG 
SHOULD FOCUS ON GOVERNANCE OVER INDEPENDENCE, HARADINAJ 
CONFIDED THAT (ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT NEXHAT) DACI ON FEBRUARY 5 
TOLD HIM HE WAS WORKING WITH BRITISH INTERMEDIARIES ON A PLAN 
FOR THE PARLIAMENTS OF KOSOVO AND SERBIA TO BEGIN 
CONSIDERATION OF TECHNICAL ISSUES OF MUTUAL CONCERN.  DACI 
AND A KOSOVO ASSEMBLY DELEGATION ARE MAKING PLANS TO TRAVEL 
TO SWITZERLAND FOR NGO-SPONSORED MEETINGS.  THE PLAN CALLS 
FOR A DELEGATION FROM THE SERBIAN PARLIAMENT TO TRAVEL TO 
SWITZERLAND AT THE SAME TIME ON UNRELATED BUSINESS AND FOR 
DACI AND HIS SERBIAN COUNTERPART TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE 
TRIPS TO MEET AND PAVE THE WAY FOR MORE FORMAL PARLIAMENTARY 
CONTACT TO FOCUS ON TECHNICAL TOPICS SELECTED FOR LACK OF 
POLITICAL OVERTONE. 
 
HARNISH