VZCZCXRO0637
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #0937/01 1200535
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 300535Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6084
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0017
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0045

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SARAJEVO 000937 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR(DICARLO), EUR/SCE(HOH/FOOKS), P FOR 
BAME; NSC FOR BRAUN; USNIC FOR MCLEAN; USUN FOR POLITICAL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2015 
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL UN KJWC BK PK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - TAKING ON RADICAL BOSNIAK MUSLIM POLITICS 
 
REF: A. SARAJEVO 807 
     ¶B. SARAJEVO 595 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Douglas McElhaney.  Reason 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: We stepped up our efforts during the week of 
April 23 to undercut efforts, particularly of Bosniak member 
of the Tri-Presidency Haris Silajdzic, to further radicalize 
the political situation in Bosnia.  We met with the Bosniak 
Party for Democratic Action (SDA) leadership to deliver a 
clear message that they need to play a more constructive role 
in shaping Bosniak public opinion.  We plan a similar meeting 
with the Social Democratic Party leadership after the May Day 
holidays.  We urgeded the Pakistani Embassy to recommended 
that Pakistani President press Silajdzic during the formers 
April 27-28 visit to Bosnia.  We also continued our efforts 
to shape the international community's response to the 
International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict that genocide 
took place in and around Srebrenica from July 13, 1995. 
Ambassador pressed Republika Srpska (RS) PM Milorad Dodik to 
follow through on his plans to assistance Srebrenica, and 
Dodik confirmed that several promised projects will be 
underway by mid-May.  At our urging, Dodik also met with 
Bosniaks from Bratunac to discuss their plans to bury loved 
ones in the municipality.  Dodik committed to support a 
compromise proposal suggested by the Bosniaks.  We have urged 
Serb member of the Tri-Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic to 
refrain from responding precipitously to a Silajdzic proposal 
that the Presidency visit the United Nations on May 21.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
Pressing SDA to Lead 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) On April 15, Ambassador met with the Party for 
Democratic Action (SDA) Presidency to underscore growing USG 
concern about the current political situation in Bosnia.  He 
warned that nationalist rhetoric from some quarters was 
radicalizing Bosniaks, blocking efforts to forge consensus on 
reform, and setting back the country's prospects for 
Euro-Atlantic integration.  He called on the SDA, as the 
largest parliamentary party, to resume its leadership role 
within Bosniak politics and reminded Presidency members of 
the constructive role SDA had played in the past.  The 
Ambassador also praised SDA President Sulejman Tihic for 
having the courage to take tough decisions and reach 
compromises on issues such as police and constitutional 
reform.  The meeting was closed to the press, but it 
attracted the Bosnian media's notice and commentary.  Thus 
far, the coverage has (helpfully) stressed the call for SDA 
leadership in breaking the current political gridlock. 
 
¶3. (C) Tihic, who told us he afterwards that was very pleased 
with the meeting, presented new SDA positions on the "three 
most pressing issues confronting Bosnia: constitutional 
reform, police reform, and Srebrenica."  Tihic said the SDA 
would support the U.S.-brokered package of constitutional 
amendments with one "small modification": elimination of 
entity voting for all exclusively state competencies.  On 
police reform, Tihic outlined a proposal similar to RS PM 
Milorad Dodik's March 12 offer (i.e., all responsibility for 
police shifted to the state, a new Srebrenica police 
district, a police district that crosses the inter entity 
boundary line around Sarajevo, and the words "Republika 
Srpska" in the name for local police districts in the 
RS)(RefB).  Finally, Tihic outlined an elaborate proposal for 
Srebrenica "special status" that he claimed would not involve 
the secession of from the RS.  Instead, SDA would support a 
state-level law that provided a unique legal framework for 
Srebrenica in certain areas (e.g., police, natural resources, 
taxes). 
 
Engaging the Pakistanis and the Turks 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The Ambassador also spoke this week with the Pakistani 
Ambassador to Bosnia.  He suggested that Pakistani President 
Pervez Musharraf's official visit is opportunity for a 
long-time friend of Bosnia to deliver a clear message to 
Bosniak member of the Tri-President Haris Silajdzic that 
Silajdzic must moderate his nationalist rhetoric. (Note: 
Musharraf's visit begins on April 27 and includes a speech to 
 
SARAJEVO 00000937  002 OF 003 
 
 
the Parliamentary Assembly as well as a visit to Tuzla, where 
he served as a peacekeeper. End Note.) The Pakistani 
Ambassador replied that she shared USG concerns about 
Silajdzic and had recommended Musharraf raise them during his 
meeting with the Presidency.  Separately, the Ambassador 
spoke with the Turkish Ambassador to Bosnia about Silajdzic's 
April 23 dinner in Istanbul with Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan. 
The Turkish Ambassador had told us earlier that Erdogan 
planed to chastise Silajdzic about the damage he was doing to 
Bosnia generally and the Bosniak cause specifically.  The 
Turkish Ambassador asserted that Erdogan had delivered the 
message, but was opaque about the details of 
Silajdzic-Erdogan exchange. 
 
Pressing for Progress on Srebrenica and Bratunac 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (C) This week OHR completed work on a draft set of 
recommendations for Srebrenica and announced the HighRep 
announced that he planed to appointment a Special Envoy for 
Srebrenica and the surrounding municipalities.  The 
recommendations, which the Embassy played an active role 
shaping, along with plans for Srebrenica already announced by 
Bosnian political leaders will be discussed at May 4 meeting 
with the new Envoy and will provide a framework for the 
Envoy's work.  The key challenge will be ensuring Bosnian 
leaders fulfill their recent promises and take concrete (and 
constructive) steps to improve three areas of priority 
interest to Srebrenica and other Eastern RS municipalities: 
justice, economic, and social (i.e., benefits) issues. 
Justice issues are the most prone to political manipulation, 
given the intensity of emotions involved.  In conversations 
with OHR and others, the Ambassador has stressed the 
importance of leveraging improvements in the State 
Prosecutor's and State Court's capacity out of the political 
crisis generated over the ICJ verdict. 
 
¶6. (C) We have has spoken with Dodik several times about his 
economic package for Srebrenica and the importance of early 
tangible results.  Dodik and his staff have confirmed to us 
that money for the RS plan has already been set aside and 
reviewed more detailed spending plans.  For example, 
Srebrenica Mayor Malkic and RS officials have already 
discussed specific electrification projects, some of which 
will begin on May 15.  Some of the promised road construction 
will start on May 20.  Dodik also promised the Ambassador 
that he would help resolve the controversy over plans to bury 
Bosniaks killed in the 1992 Bratunac massacre at a 
reconstructed mosque in the municipality (Ref A).  At our 
request, Dodik met with the "Women of Podrinje" (WofP) and 
the Bratunac Imam to discuss the burial.  The WofP offered a 
compromise location, a small Serb military cemetery just 
outside of town, which Dodik welcomed and pledged the RS 
government to support.  The Mayor and municipal officials 
will consider the compromise proposal on May 3. 
 
Silajdzic Stirs the Pot at the Presidency 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) On April 26, the Ambassador met with Serb member of 
the Tri-Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic (at Radmanovic's 
request) to discuss Radmanovic's concerns over a proposed 
official Presidency trip to New York to commemorate the 15th 
anniversary of the United Nations' recognition of Bosnia on 
May 21.  According to Radmanovic, President Komsic informed 
him that Komsic, Silajdzic and Foreign Minister Alkalaj had 
arranged for the Bosnian Mission to the United Nations to 
host a formal reception commemorating the anniversary, which 
Silajdzic and Komsic planned to attend.  The trip was to be 
formally authorized by the Presidency during a session the 
following week.  Radmanovic said he had no substantive 
objections to the visit, but was concerned by Silajdzic's and 
Komsic's "secret maneuverings" and speculated that they had 
ulterior motives for the visit, such as side meetings with 
the UN Secretary General to raise the ICJ verdict. (Note: 
Silajdzic's staff confirmed that Presidency members might 
"have their own meeti 
ngs" with UN officials. End Note.) 
 
¶8. (C) Radmanovic also told the Ambassador that he found the 
whole idea of a head of state-level trip for the event 
"illogical" and "a bit irrational."  He said that his two 
 
SARAJEVO 00000937  003 OF 003 
 
 
colleagues had quietly planned the entire visit while he was 
at a summit in Macedonia the previous week.  He also repeated 
concerns about the role Alkalaj plays in the government, 
noting that the Foreign Minister had organized the trip and 
reception without formal Presidency- sanction or informing 
Radmanovic.  The Ambassador agreed that the episode and visit 
seemed odd, but encouraged Radmanovic to attend if Silajdzic 
and Komsic were both going.  Radmanovic confirmed that that 
was his intention, and told the Ambassador that he would vote 
to authorize the trip next week and go to New York.  The 
Ambassador took the opportunity to again urge Radmanovic to 
appropriately manage the political climate in the wake of his 
veto of the Presidency decision on the ICJ verdict, and take 
substantive steps to indicate that the RS leadership 
understood the significance of the court's verdict. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (C) In our judgment, Radmanovic has good reason to be 
suspicious of Silajdzic's motives in proposing the New York 
trip.  Silajdzic and his surrogates have been publicly 
raising the possibility of raising the ICJ verdict with the 
UNSC for several weeks, and there is a long, colorful history 
of Bosnian officials stretching and grossly overstepping 
official instructions and messages when abroad.  That said, 
we have urged Radmanovic to focus on building consensus 
within the Presidency on any decision related to the ICJ 
verdict rather than on his frustrations with the 
decision-making process itself.  We are encouraged by Dodik's 
reaction to Srebrenica.  Unlike Federation politicians, who 
cannot explain how money they have pledged to Srebrenica will 
be used, the RS government appears poised to have several 
major projects underway in just a couple weeks.  If Dodik 
honors his commitment to us the Women of Podrinje to press 
municipal officials to support a compromise, we may be able 
to avoid a confrontation in Bratunac on May 12, but there is 
amply opportunity for radical Serb and/or Sarajevo-based 
politicians interested in a clash to derail the progress we 
have made this week.  With this in mind, we will keep a 
watchful eye on Bratunac.  Finally, we will continue to press 
moderate Bosniak parties (SDA, SDP) to challenge Silajdzic 
and return to playing a constructive role in Bosnia politics 
as well as encourage our international partners to do the 
same.  Just back from a trip to the Middle East, Silajdzic 
will meet with the Ambassador on April 27 to review current 
issues. 
MCELHANEY