VZCZCXRO9355
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #1194 1461527
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 261527Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3596
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 001194 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR D (SMITH), P (BAME), EUR (DICARLO), EUR/SCE 
(ENGLISH, FOOKS, MITCHELL, SAINZ), NSC FOR BRAUN, OSD FOR 
FLORY, USNIC FOR WEBER AND GREGORIAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA: MUTED REACTION TO MONTENEGRO REFERENDUM 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Douglas McElhaney for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Initial reactions by BiH politicians to 
the results of the Montenegrin independence referendum, 
announced May 23, have been largely positive and calm in both 
entities. As Montenegro was one of the six quasi-autonomous 
constituent republics of the former Yugoslavia, virtually all 
commentators felt that its citizens had the legal right to 
choose independence--in contrast with the people of Kosovo 
and the RS, which are and were parts of former republics. 
Concerns that some political leaders in the Republika Srpska 
(RS) might be inspired to renew calls for an "independent" RS 
appear to be unfounded; RS leaders consider Kosovo a much 
closer analogy to their situation and will be watching the 
negotiations there closely. Bosniak and Croat politicians 
generally welcomed the result of the referendum and expressed 
their desire for continued positive bilateral relations with 
an independent Montenegro.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE RS REACTION 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Igor Radojcic, the Speaker of the RS National 
Assembly (RSNA), met with Ranko Krivokapic, the Speaker of 
the Montenegro Assembly, on May 23. Radojcic (an ethnic 
Montenegrin) congratulated the Montenegrins on their 
independence and emphasized that the goals of the RS remain 
open borders and full cooperation with their neighbors. Many 
politicians in the RS noted that the referendum was merely 
formal recognition of the fact that the state of Serbia and 
Montenegro existed more on paper than in reality. Dragan 
Cavic, RS President and President of the Serb Democratic 
Party, praised the outcome of the vote, citing it as an 
important reminder that decisions about independence can and 
should be made through democratic processes and without 
violence. A few far-right organizations equated the RS and 
Montenegro and claimed that they would push the international 
community to allow a referendum in the RS regarding whether 
it wants independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but these 
voices were not representative of public opinion generally. 
 
THE PRESIDENCY IS SUPPORTIVE 
 
¶3. (SBU)  At the state level, Bosniak member of the BiH 
tri-presidency Sulejman Tihic and Chairman of the Council of 
Ministers Adnan Terzic both called the referendum "a victory 
for Montenegro" and expressed their full support for 
Montenegro as an independent state on the road to 
Euro-Atlantic integration. Croat tri-presidency member Ivo 
Miro Jovic also congratulated Montenegrins and rejected the 
suggestion that the results of the referendum could fuel 
separatist ambitions of either Kosovar Albanians or Serbs in 
the RS. 
 
¶4.  (C)  COMMENT:  The official BiH response was carefully 
tailored to follow the EU's lead.  The muted reaction from 
the RS (both politicians and public) reflects a paradox: 
while they might welcome the validity of a referendum on 
status, the Montenegrins voted to sever links to Serbia (and 
other Serbs).  Meanwhile, nervous Bosniaks are underscoring 
that Montenegro's republic status in the former Yugoslavia 
means there can be no parallel model for the RS, an integral 
part of BiH. 
 
MCELHANEY