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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #2007/01 3481407
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141407Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9896
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BELGRADE 002007 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/PGI - IWEINSTEIN; EUR/PPD - LDAVIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO KISL PGOV PHUM PREL SR
SUBJECT: ENGAGING SERBIA'S MUSLIMS 
 
REF: STATE 185834 
 
¶1.  (sbu)  The Republic of Serbia is a multiethnic, multi-religious 
state.  There are two significant indigenous Muslim communities: 
Bosniak Muslims, who are ethnic Slavs and have extensive ties to the 
Bosniak community in Bosnia, and Albanian Muslims, who are ethnic 
Albanians and have extensive ties to the Albanian communities in 
Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania.  Most of the ethnic Slavic Muslims 
live in the Sandzak area covering parts of Serbia and Montenegro, 
and bordering on Bosnia.  The majority of ethnic Albanian Muslims 
live in Southern Serbia along the administrative boundary with 
Kosovo and the border with Albania. 
 
¶2.  (sbu)  There have been very few reports of incidents inspired by 
radical Islamic ideas or anti-Americanism, and claims of the 
increase of radicalism in the Sandzak have been exaggerated.  In 
fact, because of the role of the United States during the armed 
conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, the great majority of Muslims in 
Serbia are pro-American. 
 
¶3.  (sbu)  Embassy Belgrade has undertaken significant efforts to 
bolster living standards, democracy, peace, and understanding of the 
U.S. throughout Serbia.  Because of the unusual and unique issues 
present in Serbia, efforts focus mainly on ethnic minorities, rather 
than religious minorities -- issues are not "Muslim" issues, but 
rather "Bosniak" or "Ethnic Albanian" issues -- and a great deal of 
our programming is centered on interethnic cooperation. 
 
¶4.  (sbu)  The Embassy engages daily to reach out to all audiences, 
including Muslim audiences in Serbia, particularly in the Sandzak 
and in Southern Serbia, through a variety of programs in PD and AID, 
plus through other Embassy offices like POL and ECON.  We are 
continuing our efforts to engage with Serbian and Albanian leaders 
in southern Serbia, to encourage and support moderate Muslims in the 
Sandzak and in Belgrade, and to work with Serbia's law enforcement 
and security infrastructure to discourage transnational terrorists 
from using Serbia as a transit route or safe haven.  As requested 
reftel, below is an outline in EUR/PPD suggested format, of our 
ongoing outreach goals and programs. 
 
¶5.  (sbu)  Public Diplomacy and Related Engagement Strategy, Serbia 
 
Negative Narrative:  The goal of these programs is to overcome 
pervasive negative stereotyping of Muslim communities in Serbia by 
Serbian media and political leadership; secondarily, the goal is to 
allay feelings of disenfranchisement from Serbian politics and 
society from Serbia's Muslim communities. 
 
Media Environment: 
-- Radio, TV, and Internet Access:  Most Serbians get their 
information from television (87%) and print media (59%).  Less than 
4% of the public use the internet as an information source, and less 
than 8% use the radio.  There are five major television stations in 
Serbia that recently received the national license issued by the 
Serbian Broadcasting Agency: Public service Radio Television Serbia 
(RTS); entertainment TV Pink; newly established FOX TV (no regular 
program yet); independent TV B92; and small Kosava-Happy TV.  The 
Broadcasting agency also granted five national radio licenses - to 
B92, Radio Index, Radio S, Roadstar and Radio Focus. The allocation 
of frequencies was an attempt to regulate the previously chaotic 
state of the broadcast media sector where outlets have long operated 
without licenses.  Many media outlets rely on three local wire 
agencies (state owned Tanjug, and privately owned BETA and FoNet), 
as well as international agencies. 
 
-- Most widely accessed broadcast stations:  The most widely 
accessed broadcast stations are public service Radio Television 
Serbia (RTS); popular TV Pink (owned by controversial businessman 
Zeljko Mitrovic, formerly an official of the now defunct Yugoslav 
Left party) and independent TV B92 (which grew out of the 
anti-Milosevic Radio B92.) 
 
-- Media obstacles:  The Embassy has some concern about declining 
ethical standards and a rise in tabloid journalism, both in print 
and electronic media.  No censorship exists in Serbia. The 
government does not own or directly control any print or electronic 
media, except state-owned TANJUG news agency.  The Law on Free 
Access to Information regulates the rights to access information of 
public importance held by public authority bodies, with the purpose 
of the fulfillment and protection of the public interest to know and 
attain a free democratic order and an open society. 
 
Strategic Goals: 
 
¶1.  To increase sustained political engagement between Serbian 
government and ethnic Albanian-majority municipalities in southern 
Serbia. 
 
¶2.  To encourage moderate and progressive Islamic elements in the 
Sandzak. 
 
BELGRADE 00002007  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Target Audiences and Suggested Programs: 
 
Goal: Sustained Engagement in Southern Serbia 
 
Target Audience - Serbian government ministries (especially 
Interior, Finance, Trade, Local Administration, Office of Minority 
Rights) 
 
Justification - Despite significant investments over the last five 
years, Serbian ministries are viewed locally as non-responsive or 
openly hostile to the needs of ethnic Albanian communities in 
southern Serbia.  In addition, specialized police forces have a 
reputation for heavy-handedness in dealing with local populations. 
The USG and the international community are seen as mediators/honest 
brokers between the Serbian government ministries and local 
populations. 
 
Specific Programs targeting this audience - We are using the 
American Corner in Vranje and the American Window in Bujanovac to 
host programs to bring Serbian and Albanian leaders together to 
encourage dialogue in roundtable formats; we engage regularly with 
the Serbian Interior and Defense ministries to monitor complaints 
against their officers in Southern Serbia; we engage regularly, 
along with the OSCE and EU Missions, with the Coordinating Body for 
Southern Serbia, a GoS body designed to liaise between Belgrade and 
ethnic Albanian-majority municipalities and ensure that their 
economic, educational, and social development needs are being 
addressed; Democracy Commission grants have been used in part to 
fund capacity-building workshops for local ethnic Serb and ethnic 
Albanian leaders.  Embassy visitors frequently speak to local 
electronic and print media in Southern Serbia. 
 
Target Audience - Serbian Media 
 
Justification - Some mainstream Serbian media has an implicit or 
explicit anti-Muslim or anti-Albanian bias.  Local ethnic Albanian 
media can have a similar, anti-Serb bias.  This has increased as 
Kosovo final status talks have progressed.  Sensitizing the Serbian 
mainstream media to ethnic Albanian concerns and vice versa is an 
important part of creating an atmosphere of tolerance. 
 
Specific Programs targeting this audience - PD has been engaging 
actively with Belgrade and local journalists to educate them on 
Kosovo-related issues, including journalist exchanges to take 
Serbian journalists to Kosovo and Kosovar journalists to Belgrade; 
through the Information Resource Center, PD is providing educational 
materials on Kosovo via Web link in the Serbian and Albanian 
languages. 
 
Target Audience - ethnic Albanian political parties in southern 
Serbia 
 
Justification - Local ethnic Albanian Muslim political leaders can 
have the most influence on determining the amount of engagement in 
the Serbian political process in ethnic Albanian-majority towns in 
southern Serbia. 
 
Specific Programs targeting this audience - The Embassy routinely 
and aggressively engages with ethnic Albanian political leaders to 
encourage them to sustain their participation in the Serbian 
political process at both the local and the national level; Embassy 
and the international community encourage continued contact between 
ethnic Albanian leaders and the Coordinating Body; our annual Iftar 
dinner always includes key ethnic Albanian Muslim leaders from 
southern Serbia. 
 
Target Audience - General public in southern Serbia 
 
Justification - Supplementing our work with political elites, our 
people-to-people diplomacy fosters individual contacts that break 
down stereotypes and encourages tolerance and communication. 
 
Specific Programs Targeting this Audience - US Speaker programs have 
engaged local audiences on religious tolerance; Democracy Commission 
programs have encouraged assistance to socially vulnerable groups 
and encouraged greater political participation among youth; IV 
programs have brought Albanian and Serb youth leaders together on 
grassroots democracy programs; high school exchange programs 
regularly mix ethnic Albanian Muslim and ethnic Serb Orthodox 
children on programs; USAID has provided substantial support to 
development of SME, job creation and training, and assistance to 
youth, to create feelings of belonging in these communities. 
 
Measures of Effectiveness - (A). Ethnic Albanian political parties 
participate in parliamentary, presidential, and local Serbian 
elections; (B). The Coordinating Body for Southern Serbia continues 
to receive funding and ministerial-level participation from the GoS, 
and budgets for economic development projects in the region; (C). 
Equivalent references to "Albanians" and "terrorists" ceases in 
 
BELGRADE 00002007  003 OF 003 
 
 
mainstream Serbian media, as does common usage of the pejorative 
"shiptar" to refer to ethnic Albanians; (D); "Flag Day" celebrations 
in ethnic Albanian majority towns include invitations to Serb 
leaders and public statements by ethnic Albanian leaders encouraging 
engagement. 
 
Goal - Encouraging and Supporting Moderate Islamists in the Sandzak 
 
Target Audience - Muslim religious leaders in the Sandzak 
 
Justification - The Sandzak Mufti is the spiritual leader of most of 
the Muslims in Serbia, and has been a moderate leader in dealings 
with us.  Supporting him and other moderate Islamic leaders in the 
Sandzak and elsewhere in Serbia will strengthen their authority 
within their communities and prevent more radical influences from 
neighboring countries from gaining purchase. 
 
Specific Programs targeting this audience - IV Programs have 
included Serbian Muslim spiritual leaders; our annual iftar dinner 
includes invitations to key Muslim leaders from throughout Serbia, 
including the Muftis in Novi Pazar and Belgrade; we have also held 
additional iftars in Novi Pazar itself to include a broader range of 
Muslim spiritual and civic leaders in the Sandzak. 
 
Target Audience - regional and national Serbian media 
 
Justification - Some mainstream Serbian media has an implicit or 
explicit anti-Muslim bias.  This can lead to feelings of anomie in 
the Muslim community towards the Serbian state.  Sensitizing the 
Serbian mainstream media to Muslim concerns is an important part of 
creating an atmosphere of tolerance. 
 
Specific programs targeting this audience - PD has been engaging 
actively with Belgrade and local journalists to educate them on our 
Muslim outreach activities. 
 
Target Audience - general population 
 
Justification - People-to-people diplomacy fosters individual 
contacts that break down stereotypes and encourages tolerance and 
communication, creating a stronger bond between Serbian Muslims and 
their state.  Economic and social development and protection of 
minority rights buffers against extremist influences 
 
Specific programs targeting this audience - US Speaker programs have 
focused on communities in the Sandzak; Democracy Commission grants 
have targeted raising political awareness among youth in Novi Pazar; 
high school exchange programs look to include children from the 
Sandzak wherever possible; an American Corner is planned for Novi 
Pazar to increase our outreach capabilities; USAID assistance has 
targeted economic and social development programs, to include SME 
development, in the Sandzak; the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural 
Preservation has focused on rebuilding Islamic cultural and 
educational facilities in Novi Pazar and in Belgrade; our POL 
section meets regularly with political, cultural, and religious 
leaders in the Sandzak, and engages regularly with high school 
students, to discuss current events. 
 
Measures of Effectiveness - increasing levels of participation from 
the Sandzak in USG sponsored outreach events and IV and exchange 
programs, decrease in reports of Wahhabist influence in the Sandzak. 
 
 
POLT