Slovenian diplomat quits after report of US meddling in EU presidency

(LJUBLJANA) - The Slovenian foreign ministry announced the resignation of a top Slovenian diplomat Tuesday who press reports claimed had taken orders from the United States about Slovenia's EU presidency.

The Foreign Ministry announced on its website that political director Mitja Drobnic had resigned and would be replaced by state secretary Matjaz Sinkovec during Slovenia's six-month term as EU president.

Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel "has accepted the resignation of political director Mitja Drobnic", the ministry said in a statement.

The resignation comes after a report in the daily newspaper Dnevnik last week which said that Slovenia had been taking orders from the US.

According to the newspaper, which quoted an internal foreign ministry report, Drobnic had met in December with US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, who allegedly suggested to the Slovenian side what their priorities should be during the EU presidency.

Fried encouraged Slovenia to be among the first to recognise the independence of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo, the newspaper claimed.

Fried had also reportedly told Drobnic that there was "no need to worry" about the recognition of Kosovo's independence by all EU members, but that the most important thing was for an EU mission of police and lawyers to be sent to the province "despite critical positions of Russia and Serbia," the newspaper said.

Following 18 months of failed negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, the majority ethnic Albanian province has vowed to declare independence.

The United Nations has run Kosovo since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign drove out Belgrade's forces waging a crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians who make up 90 percent of the population.

Foreign Minister Rupel has not so far denied the existence of the internal report, nor its content, but said earlier this week that an investigation had been launched to find the source of the leak.

In view of the leak, "we are having some difficulties with our interlocutors, especially from the US," Rupel told Slovenian state television late Monday.

Slovenia, a former Yugoslav state that declared independence in 1991, is the first new EU member to take over the EU presidency and it has made Kosovo one of its priorities during its six-month term.