VZCZCXRO9923
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #1860/01 2261724
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 141724Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4187
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 001860 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR (DICARLO), D (SMITH), P (BAME), EUR/SCE (HOH, SAINZ, 
FOOKS), NSC FOR BRAUN, USNIC FOR WEBER, GREGORIAN, OSD FOR 
FLORY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR BK
SUBJECT: BIH POLITICIANS CHOOSE HIGH-ROAD IN RESPONSE TO 
BOMBING OF FORMER PRESIDENT IZETBEGOVIC'S GRAVE 
 
REF: SARAJEVO 1852 
 
Classified By: Classified by DCM JCefkin for reason 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Political reaction to the bombing of Former 
BiH President Alija Izetbegovic's grave, with the exception 
of one Serb-based party, has been surprisingly measured in 
this pre-election period.  Although the investigation into 
the attack has yielded few results, some groups, including 
the Srebrenica Memorial and Cemetery in Potocari, fear that 
other ethnically sensitive sites might be potential targets. 
Despite restrained political reactions, conspiracy theories 
abound among the media and private observers.  END SUMMARY. 
 
END SUMMARY 
 
Politicians Respond with Restraint 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) With a few exceptions, Bosnian political leaders have 
condemned the August 11 bombing of former President Alija 
Izetbegovic's grave.  Bosniak, Serb and Croat politicians are 
calling for a thorough investigation and prosecution of what 
many label "a terrorist attack" meant to destabilize the 
political situation in BiH.  Bakir Izetbegovic, son of the 
late-President and Deputy leader of the Bosniak Party of 
Democratic Action (SDA), said "we should not be taken in by 
provocation, we should not radicalize things, we should not 
accept the games terrorists and radicals are playing."  High 
Representative Schwarz-Schilling visited the grave the day of 
the attack, condemned the bombing and appealed to political 
and religious leaders to use their authority and influence to 
prevent an escalation of tensions in Bosnia. 
 
¶3. (SBU) A discordant note was struck by the Serbian Party of 
Democratic Union (PDP).  Deputy Leader and former Interior 
Minister of the RS, Zoran Djeric, commented that the attack 
may have been designed "to draw away the attention from vital 
issues, particularly from revealing the truth regarding Serb 
war casualties." Mladen Ivanic, BiH Minister for Foreign 
Affairs and leader of the PDP further commented that his only 
fear is that the bombing "was an attempt to create a 
counterpart to recent events regarding the war crimes over 
Serbs. I hope that it is not a political manipulation." 
Ivanic and Djeric were alluding to the recently released 
videotapes of Operation Storm that allegedly show war crimes 
committed against Serbs (reftel). 
 
Investigation Ongoing 
--------------------- 
 
¶3. (C)  Investigations into the bombing have thus far yielded 
few leads.  BiH authorities have asked for assistance from 
Germany, The Netherlands and the Embassy's RSO to gather 
information about one possible lead involving a car with 
German license plates seen near the cemetery at the time of 
the explosion.  The State Investigation and Protection Agency 
(SIPA), a state-level law enforcement agency modeled on the 
FBI, has taken over the investigation from the Canton of 
Sarajevo.  Media and public attention, meanwhile, has focused 
on allegations that security measures at the grave were 
curtailed on July 26th.  At this time, according to media 
reports, all video surveillance of the cemetery ceased when 
cameras were removed from the cemetery, allegedly for 
repairs. This fact may or may not be significant, but has 
fueled a public debate between cemetery operators and the 
security company responsible for video surveillance. 
 
Srebrenica Officials Concerned About Memorial 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) In response to the attack on Izetbegovic's grave, 
Srebrenica municipal officials demanded yesterday that 
special security arrangements be made for the protection of 
the Potocari Memorial Center and Cemetery.  The cemetery is 
the final resting place for over 2000 victims of the 1995 
Srebrenica Massacre.  Police presence at the Potocari 
cemetery and memorial center has increased since the attack 
and a special session of the Srebrenica Foundation, of which 
the U.S. is a member, will convene in the coming days to 
further assess any potential threat. 
 
 
¶5. (C) COMMENT: Despite the measured reaction of politicians, 
the Bosnian media have already begun to promote conspiracy 
theories about the attack. There is increasing speculation, 
notably among Serbs, that SDA hard-liners are responsible for 
the attack in an attempt to divert attention from Operation 
 
SARAJEVO 00001860  002 OF 002 
 
 
Storm. Others believe it was Serb radicals stirring up even 
more divisive pre-election ethnic tension.  Still, the 
surprisingly multi-ethnic political condemnation of the event 
is notable, since politicians have generally preferred to 
exploit ethnic tensions rather than calm them in the run-up 
to the elections.  END COMMENT. 
MCELHANEY