Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 5064 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ASEC AJ AM AF AR AMGT AE AU AGMT AG AS AORC AFIN APER ABUD ATRN AL AEMR ACOA AO AX AMED ADCO AODE AFFAIRS AC ASIG ABLD AA AFU ASUP AROC ATFN AVERY APCS AER ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AEC APECO
BTIO BEXP BL BR BM BH BA BE BK BRUSSELS BX BU BO BIDEN BY BG BF BB BC BBSR BMGT BTIU BILAT
CIA CACM CDB CU CH CI CS CVIS CA CO CBW CASC CD CV CMGT CLINTON CE CJAN CG CF CN CAN COUNTER CDG CIS CM CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CY CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS COM CJUS CARSON CL COUNTERTERRORISM
DEAX DR DA DHS DOE DEA DK DJ DISENGAGEMENT DS DTRA DOD
EI EFIN ECON EAID ETRD EINV ENRG EAIR ELAB EN EAGR ETTC EPET EU EIND EWWT EUN EG ELTN EREL ER EMIN ECIN ECPS EFIS EINT EZ ET EC ECONEFIN ENVR ES ECA ELN EXTERNAL EINVETC ENIV EINN ENGR EUR ESA ENERG EK ENGY ETRO ELECTIONS ECUN EINVEFIN ECIP EINDETRD EUC
FR FINR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FARC FBI FJ FMLN
GG GM GH GA GV GE GT GR GTIP GOI GCC GAZA GZ GTMO
HA HU HR HILLARY HUMAN HO HYMPSK HURI HK HSTC
IR IS IZ IT ICTY IV IN IQ ICAO INTERPOL IPR INRB IAEA IRAJ INRA INRO IO IC ID IIP ITPHUM IWC ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC IMO IF ILC IEFIN INTELSAT IL IA IBRD IMF INR IRC ITALY ITALIAN
JAMES JO JA JOSEPH JP JOHNNIE JUS
KPAL KNNP KGCC KSUM KPIN KDRG KTFN KU KPAO KCRM KDEM KWBG KG KBIO KHIV KSCA KAWK KISL KN KS KHLS KCOR KZ KE KSPR KJUS KFRD KTIP KIPR KPKO KNUC KMDR KGHG KPLS KOLY KUNR KIRF KIRC KACT KGIC KRAD KCOM KMCA KV KHDP KVPR KDEV KWMN KMPI KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KCFC KTIA KPRP KAWC KCIP KCFE KOCI KTDB KMRS KLIG KBCT KICC KGIT KSTC KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KOMC KO KTER KHUM KRFD KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KNPP KNAR KWMM KERG KFIN KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KTBT KCRS KRVC KSTH KREL KNSD KPAI KHSA KR KPWR KWAC KMIG KSEC KIFR KDEMAF
LG LH LE LY LU LI LO LOG LT
MOPS MARR MASS MX MCAP MIL MNUC MTCRE MO ML MR MZ MPOS MOPPS MTCR MAPP MU MY MA MG MASC MCC MEPP MK MTRE MP MDC MAR MEPI MRCRE MI MT MQADHAFI MD MAPS MUCN MASSMNUC MERCOSUR
NIPP NATO NU NI NPT NG NL NO NE NS NAR NZ NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NGO NP NSF NATIONAL
OSAC OAS OPRC OVIP OEXC OIIP ODIP OREP OFDP OPDC OTRA OSCE OPIC OECD OPCW OSCI OIE OIC OTR OVP OFFICIALS
PREL PGOV PINR PTER PINS PHUM PROP PK PARM PINL PL POL PREF PE PBIO PSOE PBTS PHSA PKFK PO PGOF PA PARMS PORG PM PMIL PTERE PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAK PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PRGOV PNAT PROV PEL PINF PGOVE POLINT PRL PRAM PMAR PGOVLO PHUMBA PHUS POLITICS PEPR PSI PINT PU POLITICAL PARTIES PECON POGOV
QA
RS RU RW RP RO RIGHTS RICE ROBERT RF RFE REGION
SOCI SP SY SA SENV SCUL SR SNAR STEINBERG SF SW SU SL SG SMIG SO SN SHUM SZ SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SH SI
TS TU TX TBIO TW TSPA TH TIP TI TRGY TC TR TT TERRORISM TO TFIN TD TSPL TZ TPHY TK TNGD TINT TRSY
UK UNSC UP UG UV US UN UNGA USEU USUN UY UZ UNO UNMIK UNESCO UE UAE UNEP USTR UNHCR UNDP UNHRC USAID UNCHS UNAUS UNCHC
VE VZ VN VT VM VTPREL
WTRO WA WI WZ WMO WTRQ WHO WWARD WB WBG WEU WTO
XM XR XS XL XK XH XA XF XT XY XG XC XZ XW XD XE
YM YI YE
ZB ZI ZF ZP ZK ZANU ZOELLICK ZR ZU ZA ZO ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 10BELGRADE19, Serbia: Ambassador's First Meeting with President Tadic

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10BELGRADE19.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
10BELGRADE19 | 2010-01-29 17:05 | 2010-12-09 21:09 | SECRET | Embassy Belgrade

`

    VZCZCXRO1757
    RR RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL
    DE RUEHBW #0019/01 0291750
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    R 291750Z JAN 10
    FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0678
    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

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 BELGRADE 000019

    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: 2020/01/29
    TAGS: PREL PGOV SR KV
    SUBJECT: Serbia: Ambassador's First Meeting with President Tadic

    CLASSIFIED BY: Mary Warlick, Ambassador, State, EXEC; REASON: 1.4(B),
    (D)

    Summary

    -------

    ¶1. (C) In a January 28 meeting with Serbian President Tadic, the
    Ambassador emphasized her desire to expand bilateral cooperation on
    defense and economic issues, as well as to increase high-level
    contacts between our governments. Tadic welcomed the intent but
    expressed frustration that he had not been able to visit Washington
    for over four years. Echoing comments made in his public remarks
    during the Ambassador's credentialing ceremony (para. 12), Tadic
    warned that U.S. policy toward Kosovo threatened democracy in
    Serbia by strengthening the nationalist opposition. The Ambassador
    reiterated U.S. support for Serbia's EU aspirations and urged
    continued strong cooperation with the ICTY. Tadic expressed
    appreciation for U.S. support on EU integration and explained that
    Serbia was pursuing the remaining ICTY indictees because it was in
    its own interest to do so. Similarly, as a Dayton guarantor Serbia
    would continue to support the territorial integrity of
    Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tadic said. He told the Ambassador that he
    would work with Croatian President-elect Josipovic, an old
    acquaintance, to address the many difficult issues dividing Serbia
    and Croatia. On Kosovo, Tadic emphatically stated that Serbia
    would not change its position on its own territorial integrity. He
    expressed the desire to pursue a dialogue after the International
    Court of Justice renders its advisory opinion, as the current
    situation was untenable. The Ambassador responded that the
    dialogue should begin now in order to find the best way to manage
    reaction to the ICJ's opinion and move forward on the many pressing
    issues related to Kosovo. End Summary.

    ¶2. (SBU) After presenting her credentials on January 28, the
    Ambassador had a 45 minute working meeting with President Boris
    Tadic. Tadic was accompanied by his foreign policy advisor Jovan
    Ratkovic and MFA State Secretary Mirko Stefanovic.

    Bilateral

    ---------

    ¶3. (C) The Ambassador told Tadic that she was eager to work with
    him to build on the strong foundation created by her predecessors,
    noting that Vice President Biden's May 2009 visit to Belgrade had
    opened a new chapter in our bilateral relations. She said that the
    military-to-military relationship was strong, but it was time to
    take it to the next level through increased joint training and
    exchanges, Serbian contributions to peacekeeping missions, and
    participation in NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) activities. The
    Ambassador also told Tadic that she would focus on expanding
    economic and business ties, including new investments, and
    supporting the completion of Serbia's WTO accession. She also
    emphasized her commitment to seek opportunities for additional
    high-level contacts between our governments. She noted President
    Tadic's visit to UNGA last fall, the recent visits of Defense
    Minister Sutanovac and Foreign Minister Jeremic to Washington, and
    Interior Minister Dacic's meetings this week. The Ambassador
    pointed to two upcoming congressional delegations to Serbia and the
    February 10 groundbreaking for the New Embassy Compound (NEC) in
    Belgrade as early opportunities to continue our engagement and
    further highlight the relationship publicly.

    ¶4. (C) Tadic said he was pleasantly surprised to hear about the
    scheduled groundbreaking event, as he had worked with four
    different U.S. ambassadors going back to his tenure as Minister of
    Defense to identify a suitable location for the new U.S. Embassy

    BELGRADE 00000019 002 OF 005

    and facilitate the sale. He commented that he was encouraged to
    see countries such as the U.S. and China investing in modern
    diplomatic facilities in Belgrade. He also stated that it was time
    for the Serbian government to reconstruct its own buildings damaged
    during the 1999 NATO intervention.

    ¶5. (C) Shifting topics abruptly, Tadic voiced a complaint that
    despite all the talk of expanding the bilateral relations and the
    strong ties between Serbia and the U.S., he himself had not visited
    Washington in over four years. (Note: To our knowledge this is
    the first time that Tadic has expressed an interest in doing so in
    several years.) He commented that concrete results of high-level
    engagement were lacking, and cautioned that U.S. policy toward the
    Balkans, in particular on Kosovo, had implications for democracy in
    Serbia. Recalling his own early involvement in the democracy
    movement and the month he had spent in jail for his activism, Tadic
    said that his government was committed to continued democratic
    reform; it had to contend with a significant nationalist
    opposition, however. The Ambassador reiterated the USG's
    commitment, following on the Vice President's May 2009 visit, to
    sustained bilateral engagement with Serbia on all issues, including
    those areas where we do not agree. She offered to continue to
    explore possibilities for high-level visits on both sides to keep
    our bilateral channels open.

    European Integration and ICTY Cooperation

    -----------------------------------------

    ¶6. (C) The Ambassador recalled Vice President Biden's expression
    of support for Serbia's European aspirations and congratulated
    Tadic on his government's recent achievements with the EU,
    including visa liberalization, implementation of the Interim Trade
    Agreement, and submission of its membership application. The U.S.
    saw the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union
    as a key priority and remained prepared, working with the EU, to
    support this process. She underscored the importance of continued
    engagement with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
    Yugoslavia (ICTY) and U.S. readiness to support the hunt for Ratko
    Mladic and Goran Hadzic.

    ¶7. (S) Tadic expressed appreciation for U.S. help with the EU
    accession process. On ICTY cooperation, he explained that Serbia
    was working intensively to capture Ratko Mladic "for our own
    reasons," not due to pressure from the international community or
    the ICTY, but to demonstrate its own resolve to capture war
    criminals. He emphasized Serbia's commitment to reconciliation in
    the region, pointing to its responsibilities as a guarantor of
    Dayton. He also underscored Serbia's commitment to cooperation
    with the U.S. on a range of threats, including organized crime,
    corruption, terrorism, and narcotics, pointing to the success of
    several recent joint counternarcotics operations. Tadic stated
    that undertaking such sensitive operations was politically risky
    and Serbia would continue to do the right thing; in return,
    however, Serbia hoped for similarly strong bilateral engagement in
    other areas and expected support from the U.S. on these efforts
    with other countries in the region. The Ambassador expressed U.S.
    appreciation for Serbia's strong cooperation in these important
    areas and said she would be glad to discuss any areas of specific
    concern.

    Regional Cooperation

    --------------------

    BELGRADE 00000019 003 OF 005

    ¶8. (C) The Ambassador noted the important role that Serbia can and
    needs to play on regional relations and stability, particularly
    with regard to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. She conveyed
    appreciation for the Serbian government's constructive support of
    the Butmir process and urged Tadic to remain engaged with the
    parties, including RS leader Milorad Dodik, in particular. She
    expressed USG concern about the prospect of any referendum moving
    forward in the Republika Srpska. Tadic said that Serbia believed
    the preservation of BiH's territorial integrity was paramount; as a
    guarantor of the Dayton Accords, Serbia sought a peaceful solution
    on constitutional reform that would be consistent with Dayton
    principles and preserve the model of two entities, three
    constituent peoples. Tadic noted that he was seeking a
    parliamentary resolution on Srebrenica to recognize the gravity of
    the crimes committed there.

    ¶9. (C) With regard to Croatia, Tadic said that he had known
    President-elect Ivo Josipovic for a long time and wanted to work
    with him to address the many different open issues such as the
    "huge problem" of refugees and property rights. He said he
    expected the U.S. to support Serbian efforts to improve that
    relationship and address the outstanding issues. Tadic told the
    Ambassador that he would soon visit Albania and commented on the
    enormous organized crime problem facing Montenegro, where he also
    requested U.S. support. He emphasized that Serbia supported the
    independence and territorial integrity of its neighbors in the
    region, but many issues needed to be addressed.

    ¶10. (C) Turning to Kosovo, Tadic told the Ambassador "I must be as
    clear as possible with you - Serbia will not change its views on
    its territorial integrity. I want to be direct with you, as I have
    with your other colleagues. After the International Court of
    Justice (ICJ) issues its advisory opinion, we want to pursue
    dialogue and find a way to address the issues related to Kosovo, as
    the current situation is untenable." The Ambassador responded that
    despite our clear differences, the U.S. and Serbia needed to keep
    the channels of communication on Kosovo open. While the Vice
    President had conveyed our agreement to disagree on Kosovo, it was
    important for Serbia to focus on practical ways to improve the
    lives of Serbs in Kosovo and on resolving outstanding issues. She
    emphasized the need for Serbia to take a responsible and forward
    looking approach after the ICJ opinion, consistent with President
    Tadic's own forward looking approach toward European integration,
    that would not do harm to stability in the region nor to the other
    important work on our bilateral agenda. She recommended both sides
    begin a dialogue now about how to manage the way forward and said
    she hoped to continue discussions with Tadic's foreign policy
    advisor, Jovan Ratkovic, on this subject as early as next week.

    Comment

    -------

    ¶11. (S) Comment: President Tadic made clear during the meeting
    and in his public statement that he does not intend to back down on
    Kosovo. At the same time, he demonstrated that he is open to
    dialogue and told us what he wants: a warm reception in Washington
    and continued high level engagement across the U.S. interagency,
    cooperation on sensitive security issues, public support for
    Serbia's efforts to improve regional relations, and sensitivity to
    the domestic political constraints he faces on Kosovo policy. Now
    is the opportune moment to lay out for Tadic and his key foreign
    policy advisors what we expect of him, namely a constructive and
    coordinated response to the ICJ's upcoming advisory opinion
    accompanied by increased pragmatism in establishing a modus vivendi

    BELGRADE 00000019 004 OF 005

    with Kosovo, and continued forceful engagement with Milorad Dodik
    to preserve stability in BiH. In the coming months, high-level
    Washington engagement with Tadic will be essential to drive these
    messages home. The other sine qua non is a strong, consistent
    message from the European Union that continued antagonism and
    inflexibility on Kosovo after the ICJ opinion will hamper Serbia's
    progress toward membership. End Comment.

    ¶12. (U) Text of President Tadic's remarks (translation provided by
    the Presidency):

    ADDRESS BY

    HIS EXCELLENCY MR. BORIS TADIC, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF
    SERBIA, ON THE

    OCCASSION OF THE PRESENT A TION OF THE LETTERS OF CREDENCE BY HER

    EXCELLENCY MRS. MARY WARLICK, AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND

    PLENIPOTENTIARY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO

    THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

    Belgrade, 28 January 2010

    Excellency,

    It is my great pleasure to receive the Letters by which the
    Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States of America
    is accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    to the Republic of Serbia.

    May I ask you, Excellency, to convey to President Obama my cordial
    greetings and the assurances of my highest consideration.

    The relationship with the United States of America is one of the
    pillars of the foreign policy of the Republic of Serbia. Ever since
    the times when the interests of our country in the United States of
    America were represented by the diplomat and the well-known
    scientist of Serbian origin Mihailo Pupin, the bilateral relations
    between our two countries have been characterized by friendship and
    alliance at all turning points in the world's history of the
    twentieth century. Such relations and all-round cooperation were
    damaged at the time of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. Following
    the democratic changed in Serbia, we have restored our close
    cooperation which entered a new quality phase after the visit of
    Vice-President Biden.

    Today, Serbia is a truly democratic country. In the past ten years
    of the democratic transition we have successfully implemented many
    reforms guaranteeing the respect of human rights, minority rights,
    media freedoms and free elections. We are very grateful for the
    assistance by the United States of America in this democratization
    process in Serbia.

    We are particularly satisfied with the successful cooperation that
    we established with the United States of America in combating
    international terrorism and organized crime.

    BELGRADE 00000019 005 OF 005

    Excellency,

    Large Serbian community in America has for centuries provided a
    link between our two countries and contributed to the creation of
    American society. Serbia is a sister state with the State of
    Illinois and the main partner of the Army of Serbia is the National
    Guard of Ohio.

    We are particularly pleased with the fact that American companies
    are among the biggest foreign investors in Serbia.

    Madam Ambassador,

    Becoming a full member of the European Union is the strategic goal
    of the Republic of Serbia. We are convinced that the European Union
    will not be complete until Serbia and other Western Balkan
    countries are integrated into it. The support of the United States
    of America in that regard is of exceptional importance.

    Madam Ambassador,

    Serbia will continue to defend its sovereignty and territorial
    integrity in Kosovo by political and diplomatic means. We would
    like 2010 to be the year of peaceful, compromise and realistic
    solution of this issue, after the International Court of Justice
    renders its advisory opinion. Despite different positions that we
    have regarding the status of Kosovo, we hope that American policy
    will respect legitimate Serbian interests and that it will not
    jeopardize democracy in Serbia.

    At the same time, Serbia is very much concerned about the plans of
    Pristina to forcefully establish its rule over the majority-Serb
    northern Kosovo. If this strategy were to be implemented it would
    have unforeseen consequences for the stability of the region.

    Excellency,

    Serbia is strongly committed to strengthening the regional
    cooperation and good-neighbourly relations. Without a stable,
    democratic Serbia it is not possible to imagine the stable and
    prosperous Western Balkans. Serbia respects the sovereignty and
    territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, its internal
    arrangements defined by the Dayton Accords as well as the European
    and Euro-Atlantic integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Excellency,

    You begin your mission at the very important time for the Republic
    of Serbia but also for the further development of the relations
    between our two countries. I wish you every success in the
    discharge of your responsible duties. l am convinced that with your
    knowledge and experience you will make an important contribution to
    the development of the overall cooperation between our two
    countries.
    WARLICK

`