Wikileaks - MCCCVI
198023 3/20/2009 13:00 09BUCHAREST189 Embassy Bucharest CONFIDENTIAL 09STATE26179 VZCZCXRO5415 OO RUEHSR DE RUEHBM #0189 0791300 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 201300Z MAR 09 FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9338 INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE IMMEDIATE 0008 RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN IMMEDIATE 1623 RUEHDL/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN IMMEDIATE 0116 RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI IMMEDIATE 0905 RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV IMMEDIATE 0098 RUEHPS/AMEMBASSY PRISTINA IMMEDIATE 0103 RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT IMMEDIATE 0269 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM IMMEDIATE 0929 RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA IMMEDIATE 2103 RUEHYE/AMEMBASSY YEREVAN IMMEDIATE RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE 0030 C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 000189
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/RPM CHRIS DAVY AND EUR/CE AARON SCHEIBE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2019 TAGS: PREL, MARR, NATO, KPKO, KV, RO SUBJECT: ROMANIA ON KFOR MISSION: "WE AGREE WITH THE U.S. POSITION"
REF: STATE 26179
Classified By: CHARGE D'AFAIRES, a.i., Jeri Guthrie-Corn; Reasons 1.4(b ) and (d).
1. (C) POLOFF delivered reftel points to MFA Director for Security Policy Daniel Ionita, who affirmed that Romania agreed with the U.S. points. He said that there should be no premature or precipitous reshaping of KFOR's mission in the current security environment in Kosovo. Echoing remarks reported in reftel, Ionita declared, "we are not there yet!" Furthermore he agreed with the "milestone" indicators, adding that he would certainly brief senior GOR officials on the details of the U.S. position. He added that the way in which Spain informed Allies about the decision to withdraw from KFOR was "not the best way to do things." It would have been better for Spain to have given the NAC an opportunity to engage at least on process, he noted. Ionita also said that the Spanish decision was especially hard on Romania because of the close operational relationship among their respective KFOR units. He noted that Spain's withdrawal would create a requirement to fill in security gaps at a time when everyone is hurting financially.
2. (C) Comment: Ionita noted that Romania certainly supported calls for Allies to fulfill their commitments to the Kosovo Trust Fund, but he was clear that Romania would not be able to make a contribution. Furthermore, Ionita mentioned that Romania's legal position on Kosovo remains unchanged. Regarding Romania's concerns about how NATO characterizes Kosovo's governing structures without implying recognition of a state of Kosovo, Ionita said that Romania could probably accept any of the variants that make reference to "authorities (small "a" or large "A"). He was confident that the NAC would be able to reach agreement provided it did not put Kosovo on "equal footing" with state members. End comment. GUTHRIE-CORN
