VZCZCXRO1537
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #1191/01 1511646
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 311646Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6338
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 001191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR(DICARLO) AND EUR/SCE(HOH/FOOKS) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2015 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR EU BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - HIGHREP SET TO BEGIN CONSTITUTIONAL 
REFORM CONSULTATIONS 
 
REF: A. SARAJEVO 995 
     ¶B. STATE 22980 
     ¶C. SARAJEVO 41 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Douglas McElhaney.  Reason 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On May 30, High Representative Christian 
Schwarz-Schilling met with the Ambassador as well as the 
German and EC Delegation Ambassadors to discuss plans for 
consulting with Bosnian political leaders about the proposal 
to create a Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC). 
Schilling expressed his hope that political leaders could be 
persuaded to support a new constitutional reform process in 
general terms, and that this might be announced at the June 
18-19 Peace Implementation Council (PIC).  The PIC would 
welcome the commitment and announce U.S. and EU support for 
it in the PIC communique.  Though the first consultations are 
planned for June 1, the discussion underscored continued 
differences between the U.S. and European positions over the 
proposed structure of a CRC and the role the international 
community would play in a Bosnian constitutional reform 
process.  END SUMMARY. 
 
It's Time to Start 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (C) The HighRep opened the discussion by arguing that it 
was now time to begin formal consultations with political 
party leaders on a new constitutional reform process. 
Cognizant of coNQiBE+=&Rleaders on key concepts associated with the CRC, 
specifically: 
 
-- the idea of establishing a commission; 
-- the appropriate role for parliament in the process; 
-- the best method for keeping political leaders engaged in 
the process; and, 
-- the role of the international community. 
 
The party leaders' responses to these general themes would 
then be incorporated into a revised CRC proposal.  No paper 
would be passed to party leaders yet. 
 
Targeting the PIC 
----------------- 
 
¶3. (C) The HighRep told the ambassadors that he was not 
interested in staging an elaborate signing ceremony or other 
such event on constitutional reform prior to the end of his 
tenure unless "there was real substance to it."  He realized 
that his earlier plan to secure agreement from party leaders 
before June 30 on a detailed agreement endorsing the CRC and 
on draft legislation that would establish it were now 
unrealistic.  Instead he hoped to force a general consensus 
among party leaders prior to the June 18-19 PIC that a 
constitutional reform process was necessary.  Leaders could 
make a short, joint public statement at the PIC to this 
effect and the PIC communique could contain language 
endorsing it.  The HighRep plans to use his annual address to 
the Bosnian parliament before the PIC to maintain momentum 
towards a June 19 deal. 
 
Parties Must Decide the Fate of U.S.-Brokered Amendments 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶4. (C) In response to a question from the German and EC 
Ambassadors about how the U.S.-brokered package of amendments 
meshed with the proposal to establish a CRC, the Ambassador 
explained that the U.S. continues to believe that this 
package represents significant step forward.  Nonetheless, 
the parties themselves must decide whether they want to make 
a renewed effort to pass or begin a new process, he 
emphasized.  We believed it was worthwhile exploring the 
possibility of adopting the U.S.-brokered package in 
conjunction with legislation establishing a CRC, but even if 
this approach proved politically unworkable, the U.S. 
supported establishing a follow-on constitutional reform 
process (Ref B). 
 
 
SARAJEVO 00001191  002 OF 002 
 
 
Europeans Repeat Earlier Concerns on CRC 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) The EC Ambassador repeated concerns about the CRC that 
he had expressed during earlier exchanges on it.  Stressing 
that he was speaking under instruction, he noted the European 
Commission's concern about the size of the proposed CRC 
secretariat and the prominent role envisioned for the U.S. 
 
SIPDIS 
and EU CRC Co-Chairs.  The German Ambassador also raised 
concerns about the role of the Co-Chairs, underscoring the 
importance of  Bosnian "ownership" of any constitutional 
reform process.  The Ambassador responded by noting that 
without a strong international role, the constitutional 
reform process would be unlikely to yield any concrete 
results.  Our participation in the CRC process was contingent 
upon appropriate U.S. and EU roles.  The German Ambassador 
suggested the HighRep avoid going into too much detail on 
this issue with the parties, since it would needlessly expose 
U.S.-EU divisions, which could be ironed out later in the 
process. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (C) The HighRep plans to schedule meetings with individual 
party leaders over the next two weeks.  Only after completing 
these initial exchanges will he bring them together as a 
group.  The Ambassador as well as the German and EC 
Ambassadors would participate in these exchanges.  Precisely 
what he plans to present to them remains vague, which may be 
best given continued U.S. and European differences over the 
"ownership" question.  Given the current political climate, 
it is unlikely the HighRep will secure agreement from party 
leaders on a new constitutional reform process prior to the 
PIC, but he is clearly prepared to push hard.  The Europeans 
are playing along even as they apparently try to undermine 
the process.  Most of the Europeans here are not comfortable, 
or so they tell us, with the HighRep leading the charge on 
constitutional reform.  We suspect that several are also 
uncomfortable with the notion of the U.S. continuing to play 
a leading role in the process along with the Europeans. 
MCELHANEY