The Balkans: A Family Affair

As Hillary departs for the Balkans on their anniversary day causing a little tug at my heartstrings, her agenda there is being painted broadly as a follow-up to Bill's Presidential mission. Happy Anniversary to a beautiful couple, and Godspeed Mme. Secretary on your mission.

PREVIEW-Hillary Clinton takes on Balkan puzzle

Source: Reuters

*U.S. sees fragile gains, need for progress in Balkans *Clinton seeks to buttress Bosnia, push EU membership *U.S. wants Serbia, Kosovo talks to stabilize region

By Andrew Quinn WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to the Balkans on Monday, seeking to buttress the fragile peace that was one of her husband's chief foreign policy achievements as president. Clinton will urge reconciliation for Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, which battled through the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s and dominated the news when former U.S. President Bill Clinton was in office. For Hillary Clinton the Balkan puzzle is a familiar challenge -- although it is now she, and not her husband, who speaks for Washington as it attempts to bring the unstable region more closely into Europe's fold. "She is on a family mission that hasn't been completed yet," said Janusz Bugajski, director of the New European Democracies project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. "They will not be able to say mission accomplished until all the loose ends are accounted for."

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Briefing on Secretary Clinton's Travel to the Balkans and Brussels

Philip H. Gordon
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

Via Teleconference

Washington, DC

October 8, 2010

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OPERATOR: Welcome and thank you for standing by. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. During the question-and-answer session, please press *1 on your touchtone phone. Today’s conference is being recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. And now, I’ll turn today’s meeting over to Mr. Mark Toner. You may now begin, sir.
MR. TONER: Good morning. Thanks, everyone for joining us, and thanks, especially, to Assistant Secretary Gordon for taking time out of his very busy morning just to walk us through the Secretary’s trip to the Balkans as well as Brussels, next week. Just a reminder, this is on the record and you can use the audio for broadcast as well. And just, if you ask questions, please give your name and media affiliation.
And without further ado I’ll hand it over. Phil.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY GORDON: Thanks, Mark. Good morning, everybody, and thanks for coming on the call. I’ll be very brief so we can spend our time on your questions.
As you know, from October 11 to 14^th, Secretary Clinton will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and Brussels. She’s going to the Balkans to underscore the continued commitment of the United States to supporting all the Balkan states as they build prosperous, peaceful, and democratic societies and move to take their rightful places as full members of the European and Euro-Atlantic community.
Secretary Clinton’s visit follows the important trip that Vice President Biden took in May 2009, as well as several others by Deputy Secretary Steinberg, myself, and others in the Administration over the past year. In the Balkans, the Secretary will meet with a range of government officials, civil society representatives, and she will attend events with citizens of these countries. She will take stock of progress in the region, exchange ideas, and engage with these groups on a range of issues. In Brussels, the Secretary will participate in meetings with EU officials and NATO counterparts to strengthen and cement U.S. partnership with the EU and work with allies on the revitalized NATO.
Let me just walk you through what she’s actually going to do. On Tuesday the 12^th, in Sarajevo, the Secretary will meet with the Bosnian tri-presidency as well as High Representative Valentin Inzko. She will also dedicate the new embassy compound in Sarajevo which is scheduled to open shortly. On the 12^th, in Belgrade, the Secretary will meet with President Tadic, Foreign Minister Jeremic, and Defense Minister Sutanovac. That evening, she will also meet with members of civil society. On Wednesday, October 13^th, in Kosovo, the Secretary will meet privately with acting President Krasniqi, Prime Minister Thaci, and Foreign Minister Hyseni. She will then travel to Gracanica, a Serb-majority municipality near Pristina where she will meet with municipal leaders in the Kosovo-Serb community.
After she gets back to Pristina, she will hold a meeting with women’s leaders, other civil society leaders, and youth from all ethnic groups. In all of these stops – Sarajevo, Belgrade, and Pristina – the Secretary will participate in various media events as well as embassy meet-and-greet.
Continuing on to Brussels, on October 14^th, the Secretary will meet with EU Council President Van Rompuy and EU High Representative Baroness Ashton, followed by a meeting with European Parliament President Buzek and other EU Parliamentary leaders. Secretary will then join Secretary Gates for a joint NATO ministerial, bringing together foreign and defense ministers from NATO countries. The ministerial will be an opportunity to review progress on the new strategic concept and in the war in Afghanistan.
She will then depart Brussels on the evening of the 14^th for Washington. That’s my summary and I’m happy to take your questions.

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The Balkans Deserve This - Op-Ed by Hillary Clinton, Miguel Moratinos, and Catherine Ashton

The Secretary of State is busily turning out text. This op-ed, co-written with Cathy Ashton and Miguel Moratinos, pictured with her below from an April event, addresses a rededication of the U.S. and E.U. to help reconstruct the Balkans. Next week in Sarajevo, a rededication compact will be formalized. Any one who watched the Olympics in Sarajevo and then saw those venues devastated by war would agree. The Balkans deserve this.

The Balkans Deserve This

Op-Ed By Hillary Clinton, Catherine Ashton and Miguel Angel Moratinos

Washington, DC

May 30, 2010

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In Sarajevo the region can embrace the new dynamic of European and Atlantic integration

Almost a century ago, a war that changed European history began in Sarajevo. Nearly 20 years ago, the city was the centre of another violent conflict that ended only with the 1995 Dayton Accords. And 10 years ago, with the memory of the Yugoslavian wars still fresh, the European Union affirmed the crucial role of Euro-Atlantic multilateral institutions in the security and stability of the Balkans. Today Sarajevo is at peace, a symbol of rebirth and reconciliation, representing all the opportunities and challenges of European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

On Wednesday the EU Spanish presidency will host a ministerial meeting in Sarajevo attended by senior leaders from EU member states, the western Balkans, the US, Russia and Turkey to reaffirm our shared commitment to the security of the Balkans through integration into European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. Integrating the western Balkans remains one of the last challenges to building a democratic and unified Europe. In Sarajevo EU ministers will recommit themselves to the Balkans' place in Europe. Ministers from the region will reaffirm their commitment to implement the reforms necessary to meet the aspirations of their people and to move their countries on the path to the Euro-Atlantic community.

As we have seen in the past two decades, the perspective of integration into the EU and NATO is a powerful driver of reform, economic prosperity and the rule of law. It means a seat at the table in European decisions, free movement of goods and people and a guarantee of security. The reforms required are also transformative. The people of the region want and deserve transparency and accountability in their governments, a level playing field for business and the opportunity to raise their children in peace and security. This is also what we want for them. The pace of global change is such that none of us can afford stagnation and "business as usual". Commitments on both sides have to be real, not rhetorical.

The rationale for this new path is clear: to replace the old dynamics of disintegration with the new dynamic of European integration. The Lisbon Treaty embodies the ambition of the EU to become a more effective global actor, and the Balkans represent an important test for the success of this ambition.

The leaders of the Balkans will have our full support as they confront the challenges of reform. Beyond complying with the political and economic Copenhagen criteria, they must commit to reconciliation among ethnic and religious communities and political groups to build a new national consensus.

The EU and the US have spared no effort in the course of these months to tackle the many fronts in the process of stabilising and "Europeanising" the Balkans, and anchoring the rule of law and good governance. The Obama Administration is committed to remain engaged in the region through completion of our shared vision.

A little over a year ago, Joe Biden, the US Vice President, and Javier Solana, the EU High Representative, visited Sarajevo with a message of hope: the doors to Euro-Atlantic institutions remain open to all the countries of the Balkans, once they meet the requirements for accession. The compact with the region, to which the EU and US will rededicate ourselves at Sarajevo on Wednesday, remains firm: we stand ready to assist the citizens and leaders of the region in building a better future together.

Hillary Clinton is the US Secretary of State; Catherine Ashton is the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and security policy; Miguel Angel Moratinos is Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs

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