VZCZCXRO0562
OO RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #0768/01 1021059
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O 121059Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE IMMEDIATE 0178
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3213
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE IMMEDIATE 0072
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 000768 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR (DICARLO), D (SMITH), P (BAME), EUR/SCE 
(ENGLISH, SAINZ, FOOKS), EUR/ACE (VISOCAN, LONGI), S/CT 
(BLACK), S/WCI (HODGKINSON), INR, THE HAGUE (JOHNSON), NSC 
FOR BRAUN, VIENNA FOR LEGATT (DIETDERICH), OSD FOR FLORY, 
USDOJ FOR CRIMINAL DIVISION - ICITAP (DELCORE) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2015 
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL PTER KCRM KJUS BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA: CONTROVERSIAL REPUBLIKA SRPSKA POLICE 
DIRECTOR RESIGNS 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR DOUGLAS MCELHANEY FOR REASONS 1.4 (B), (D) 
 
 
¶1. (C)  SUMMARY.  Controversial Republika Srpska (RS) Police 
Director Dragomir Andan tendered his resignation April 7th. 
The immediate catalyst for his resignation was a letter sent 
to RS PM Milorad Dodik and the High Rep by ICTY Chief 
Prosecutor Carla del Ponte.  The letter alleges lack of 
cooperation by Andan in the hunt for war crimes fugitives. 
However, Dodik had been looking for a way to remove Andan 
since assuming office in February 2006.  Andan also played a 
less-than-helpful role as the RS representative to the Police 
Reform Directorate (PRD).  In addition, Andan has been 
plagued by allegations of wartime atrocities and alleged ties 
to ICTY fugitive, former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko 
Mladic, and organized crime figures.  Chief of RS Police 
Administration Smajlovic will serve as acting police director 
until a replacement can be named.  End Summary. 
 
CARLA DEL PONTE LETTER - REMOVE ANDAN 
 
¶2. (C)  In her letter dated March 31st, del Ponte notes her 
meeting with RS PM Dodik on March 29th in which she advocated 
Andan's removal.  "We have an extensive and detailed profile 
of Andan whose record includes numerous allegations of 
criminal conduct before, during and after the war.  He was 
undoubtedly in close relationship (including personal) with 
ICTY fugitive Mladic."  She notes that EU Police Mission 
(EUPM) Commissioner Coppola shares her views concerning 
Andan's removal. 
 
INITIAL DODIK CAMPAIGN TO OUST ANDAN STALLS 
 
¶3. (C)  When Dodik assumed office in February he launched an 
effort to oust controversial RS Police Director Dragomir 
Andan.  Dodik has made organized crime and cooperation with 
ICTY the centerpiece of his administration; during March, the 
RS media was filled with organized crime allegations against 
Andan and the RS police.  The reports included allegations of 
police protection rackets, corrupt permit issuances, misuse 
of public funds, and support for PIFWCs Mladic and Karadzic. 
However, the campaign appeared to die down leading to 
speculation that Dodik had changed his mind.  New RS Minister 
of Interior Stanislav Cadjo, who is very close to Dodik, 
expressed support for Andan and said he had no intention of 
replacing him, in a meeting with poloff on March 24. 
 
NO DAYLIGHT BETWEEN DODIK AND ANDAN ON POLICE REFORM 
 
¶4. (C)  While there was no love lost between Andan and Dodik, 
their views on police reform were in sync.  On March 15 Dodik 
wrote a much-publicized letter to PM Terzic and the High Rep 
alleging that the Police Reform Directorate (PRD), in 
composition and in action, had violated the political 
agreement on police restructuring supported by Dodik and 
endorsed by the RS National Assembly (RSNA) in October 2005. 
One of the first decisions taken by the PRD (in an 8 - 1 vote 
with only Andan dissenting) was to use the 2004 Martens 
Police Reform Plan as a basis for starting negotiations. 
Dodik alleged that all PRD decisions must be made by 
consensus (a recipe for stalemate), that the Federation has 
greater representation on the PRD than does the RS, that the 
RSNA never agreed to the Martens Plan, and that the EUPM 
Commissioner should not be part of the PRD. 
 
¶5. (C)  Andan has played the obstructionist role since the 
inception of the PRD in January 2006, and as the RS rep, was 
scheduled to become PRD chair in July.  Just last week, Andan 
presented an RS "police restructuring" proposal which 
essentially leaves the current RS police structure intact, 
including preserving the RS Ministry of Interior's authority 
over policing in the RS. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶5. (C)  Few in Sarajevo will be lamenting the departure of 
Dragomir Andan.  His hard-line stance against police reform 
severely hindered the work of the PRD while the continuing 
swirl of allegations involving police corruption, war crimes, 
 
SARAJEVO 00000768  002 OF 002 
 
 
and connections to Ratko Mladic and organized crime figures 
made him a liability for RS PM Dodik.  Dodik had been 
searching for a way to get rid of Andan and del Ponte's 
letter proved a useful catalyst.  Replacing Andan is 
certainly a step in the right direction on ICTY cooperation 
and the fight against organized crime and corruption in the 
RS.  However, this does not solve the problem of Dodik's 
fundamental opposition to police reform, echoed in most RS 
political circles.  Dodik, with one eye firmly fixed on the 
October elections, clearly feels he is taking a popular 
stance by opposing police reform.  He knows too that we need 
his support to finish the current stage of constitutional 
reform.  The fact that Andan's temporary replacement, Nijaz 
Smajlovic, is a Bosniak, further complicates the equation 
because he may not be able to negotiate on behalf of the 
Serbs, thus potentially stalling the work of the PRD. 
Embassy will continue to push OHR and the EC to make clear to 
Dodik their bottom line on police reform as well as press 
Dodik to name a suitable replacement for Andan ASAP. End 
Comment. 
MCELHANEY