VZCZCXRO1413
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPOD #0200 1621252
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111252Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0269
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0009
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUEHPOD/AMEMBASSY PODGORICA 0287 UNCLAS PODGORICA 000200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:        
SUBJECT: HEAD RUSSIAN SPY VISITS MONTENEGRO, SAYS LOCAL MEDIA 
(C-RE7-00522) 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
 
 
 1. (U) Summary: Sergei Lebedev, Director of the Russian 
Intelligence Service (SVR) is "secretly" staying in Montenegro 
as the guest of Montenegrin National Security Agency (NSA), 
according to "reliable sources" cited by the Montenegrin daily 
"Vijesti" on June 9. There have been no official announcements 
or comments regarding Lebedev's visit to Montenegro. The 
opposition Movement for Change (PZP) has requested an urgent 
Parliament session, asking for an official explanation for 
Lebedev's visit to Montenegro. End Summary 
 
 
 
Head Russian Spy Visits Montenegrin Holiday Resort 
 
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 2. (U) "Vijesti" writes that Lebedev, who has been the head of 
SVR for seven years, will be staying in a villa in a Montenegrin 
holiday resort near Budva for several days with special security 
measures in place. The daily reports that he arrived in 
Montenegro as a part of a visit to the region, including stops 
in Serbia and Republika Srpska. There have been no official 
statements or comments regarding Lebedev's visit. 
 
 
 
Opposition Calls for Urgent Session of Parliament 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
 
 3. (U) The opposition Movement for Change (PZP) has requested an 
urgent session of the Parliamentary Board for Security and 
Defense. PZP states that Lebedev's visit is "a scandalous and 
worrying threat to Montenegrin democratic institutions." PZP 
also referred to recent reporting by the daily "Republika" which 
claimed that Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen has 
"connections" with the SVR precursor, KGB. Rocen was previously 
SaM Ambassador in Moscow. 
 
 
 
 4. (SBU) Montenegrin handling of the Lebedev visit is just more 
indication of how hard old habits die in this part of the world. 
Secrecy and obtuseness have repeatedly created problems for the 
government of late, yet rather than learning from the furor 
created by an initial lack of transparency and spade work on 
SOFA and Art 98 agreement, that the Lebedev visit could pass 
below the radar screen was somehow still assumed. His presence 
in Montenegro, he arrived on June 7 and departs June 11, can be 
seen as an example of Montenegro's desire to carry on its 
age-old  policies of positioning itself in order to reap 
benefits from all sides. 
 
BARNES