Cablegate: Czech Support for Kosovo

VZCZCXRO7295
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPG #0416 1831454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011454Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0462
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHPS/AMEMBASSY PRISTINA 0042

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000416

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

EUR/SCE FOR SSHIRATORI AND WTOMLYANOVICH, EUR/ACE FOR
AGUPMAN, AND EUR/NCE FOR ATRATENSEK

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV UN UNMIK YI KPKO KV EZ EUN
SUBJECT: CZECH SUPPORT FOR KOSOVO

REF: A. STATE 69691
B. PRAGUE 312

1. (SBU) Czech MFA desk officer for Kosovo, Josef Zrzavecky,
who just returned from the International Steering Group
meeting in Kosovo, informed Emboff that the GOCR plans to
actively engage at the July 11 European Commission-sponsored
donors conference in Brussels on July 11. The Czechs plan to
pledge just slightly under 1M euros (1.5M USD) for this year.
They also plan to continue this assistance at a similar
level next year. These funds likely will be distributed
through three channels - the World Bank trust fund, the NATO
security trust and through specific technical projects. In
the last category, Zrzavecky cited equipment for the police
force as one example of possible Czech technical assistance.

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World Bank and IMF Membership for Kosovo
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2. (SBU) On the subject of engagement in advance of the World
Bank's July 3 Board Meeting in support of Kosovo's likely
application for membership in international financial
institutions (IFIs), Zrzavecky noted that their role is
relatively modest within these fora. Nonetheless, the Czechs
have every intention of providing assistance to Kosovo
through the World Bank, as stated above, once the trust fund
is established and procedures are in place regarding the
management of the fund for Kosovo (and disbursement of funds
for specific projects). According to Zrzavecky, the lack of
established management procedures has been of concern to a
number of European member states, given that the Kosovo
pledging conference is less than two weeks away.

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Recognition of Kosovo
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3. (U) While Ref. A provides numerous points regarding the
importance of recognition of Kosovo, the GOCR has already
taken this step, as detailed in Ref. B.
Graber

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