VZCZCXRO3904
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #2971/01 3261746
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 221746Z NOV 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4884
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 002971 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR FOR DICARLO, EUR/SCE FOR HOH, FOOKS AND STINCHCOMB, NSC 
FOR BRAUN, OSD FOR FLORY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2012 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ODIP BK
SUBJECT: U.S. ORGANIZED DAYTON COMMEMORATION EVENTS FOCUS 
ON THE FUTURE 
 
 
SARAJEVO 00002971  001.4 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Douglas L. McElhaney.  Reason 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On November 21, the 11th anniversary of the 
signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, Embassy Sarajevo 
sponsored and/or hosted several events in and around 
Sarajevo.  The highlight of the day was an event for more 
than 500 guests at the National Theater, which featured 
speeches by the Ambassador, Tri-Presidency Chairman Nebojsa 
Radmanovic, and a youth activist, as well as a performance by 
the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra.  Earlier, the Ambassador 
and chiefs of mission from the EU, UK, Germany, France, and 
Russia met jointly with the new members of the Bosnian 
Tri-Presidency and released a joint statement following the 
meeting calling on the newly elected Bosnian leaders to 
commit themselves to early reform.  The U.S. message was 
clear -- the continued commitment of the United States o 
Bosnia; -- the need to move swiftly to implemet key reforms, 
including police reform, constituional reform and various 
economic reforms; -- thedecision on Kosovo's status will 
represent a final resolution to the status of the successors 
to Yugoslavia; -- the future of the Republika Srpska must be 
within Bosnia and Herzegovina.  The Embassy also sponsored 
two events highlighting the USG's commitment to Bosnia's 
future, including a career center for youth at Sarajevo 
University and a microlending network (both funded by USAID). 
 END SUMMARY. 
 
Commemoration Event at the National Theater 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The highlight of the Embassy's Dayton commemoration 
was an event at the National Theater in Sarajevo, attended by 
a standing-room only crowd of political, economic, cultural 
and academic leaders.  Newly elected Tri-Presidency Chairman 
Radmanovic was the first speaker and opened the evening with 
a speech that called on all the leaders of Bosnia to work 
together for a brighter future.  Absent from the speech was 
any of the ugly, nationalist rhetoric that characterized the 
election campaign, and many of our interlocutors expressed 
pleasant surprise to us at the inclusive and optimistic tone 
of Radmanovic's speech.  Following Radmanovic's speech, Ivana 
Kesic, a youth activist who participated in the 
U.S.-sponsored Benjamin Franklin Fellowship program, spoke 
about her experiences in forming a multi-ethnic youth 
organization aimed at educating young people about their 
civil rights and responsibilities.  She also called on the 
leaders of Bosnia to fulfill their responsibilities and 
promises to the citizens who elected them by focusing their 
time and energy on the country's future rather than its past. 
 
¶3. (U) Ambassador McElhaney spoke last, and delivered a 
focused and powerful message to the political leaders of 
Bosnia that while much has been accomplished since Dayton, 
Bosnia is entering a new era of responsibility and 
independence.  He emphasized the urgency to move forward 
right away with key reforms, including police reform and 
constitutional reform, and told the parties they must 
continue to work to consolidate the gains already achieved on 
defense reform.  He pointedly told the Serbs that Republika 
Srpska's place was inside Bosnia and Herzegovina, and he told 
the political party leaders to begin to form a government.  A 
major exception to the favorable reviews the U.S. message 
received came from members of the Party for BiH (SBiH). 
Bosniak Tri-Presidency member and SBiH President Haris 
Silajdzic did not attend the event, citing illness.  The 
reaction from the breakaway HDZ-1990 was diplomatic, but 
HDZ-1990 President Bozo Ljubic did ask whether rumors 
circulating in Mostar that the U.S. wanted to keep HDZ-1990 
out of government were true.  We underscored that the USG was 
not guiding coalition talks and stressed that government 
formation was the responsibility of the political leaders. 
 
¶4.  (U) Press reaction to the event, and in particular to the 
U.S. message, was generally favorable and focused on three 
major points: -- first, that the U.S. continues to strongly 
support Bosnia's future; -- second, the decision on Kosovo 
will represent a final resolution to the status of the 
successors to Yugoslavia; -- and third, the future of the 
Republika Srpska must be within Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
 
Tri-Presidency Meeting with Dayton Signatories 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (U) The day's events began with a meeting between the 
Ambassador and ambassadors from the signatory 
 
SARAJEVO 00002971  002.4 OF 002 
 
 
countries/institutions of the General Framework Agreement for 
Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (The GFAP includes the EU, 
France, Germany, Russia, and the UK) and the newly-elected 
members of Bosnia's Tri-Presidency.  The GFAP ambassadors 
stressed their continued commitment to Bosnia, including the 
country's aspirations for membership in Euro-Atlantic 
institutions, but emphasized that their relationship with 
Bosnia would change as the Office of the High Representative 
(OHR) closed.  Responsibility for Bosnia's future would rest 
squarely in the hands of its new government, and the 
ambassadors urged the Tri-Presidency to move quickly to 
implement the reforms necessary to ensure all Bosnians a 
peaceful and prosperous future.  After the meeting the GFAP 
ambassadors released a joint statement, which underscored 
these same points.  (Note: Text of the statement has been 
e-mailed to EUR/SCE.  End Note.) 
 
¶6. (C) Nebojsa Radmanovic, the Serb member of the 
Tri-Presidency and current Tri-Presidency Chairman, and 
Zeljko Komsic, the Croat member of the Tri-Presidency 
response to the GFAP Ambassadors was consistent with the 
spirit of the day, stressing their gratitude for the 
international community's support for Bosnia over the past 11 
years and underscoring their commitment to guiding Bosnia 
towards a Euro-Atlantic future.  Perhaps predictably, Haris 
Silajdzic, the Bosniak member of the Tri-Presidency, struck a 
sour note.  He criticized the international community for its 
failure to finish its work in Bosnia and argued the summer 
2007 closure of OHR would jeopardize Bosnia's achievements 
since Dayton.  The OHR, with full Bonn Powers, should remain 
in Bosnia in order to deal with Bosnia's "political 
blockages."  The international community could no longer 
afford to take a "line of least resistance" approach to 
Bosnia, Silajdzic said. 
 
Visit to USAID-Sponsored Programs 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Earlier in the day, the Ambassador attended the 
opening of a web-based Youth Career Portal sponsored by 
USAID.  The center is the first comprehensive youth 
employment and entrepreneurship web resource in Bosnia and is 
based at Sarajevo University.  With this project, USAID hopes 
to address the gap in resources and help create a favorable 
environment for the development and promotion of youth 
employment and entrepreneurship in Bosnia. The Ambassador 
also participated in a signing ceremony for USAID grants to 
four local micro-credit organizations.  Each of the four 
organizations received two million USD for agricultural 
lending.  Their programs are focused on giving loans to small 
agricultural producers, many of whom are minority returnees. 
Since the program's inception in 2004, it has lead to the 
creation of 1,247 new jobs and helped to sustain another 
9,982 jobs throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both of these 
projects are central to helping to create incentives for 
young, educated Bosnians to stay and help build the domestic 
economy rather than seeking employment abroad, and to 
creating an environment for sustainable returns for people 
dislocated by the Bosnian war. 
MCELHANEY