UPDATE - SANT'EGIDIO BOSNIA CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 002499 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR: EUR (SWIGERT); EUR/BI (BEECROFT); PD/ECA (SEXTON); EUR/WE (VANCLEVE); EUR/SCE (WEXEL),EUR/ERA FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 65/001 E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV BK VT SUBJECT: UPDATE - SANT'EGIDIO BOSNIA CONFERENCE REFS: A) VATICAN 2282 B) SARAJEVO 02068 C)SWIGERT-MERANTE TELCON 05/03 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 02499 071528Z CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE JOSEPH MERANTE, REASONS E.O. 12958 (B) , (D) . ¶1. (U) THIS CABLE CONTAINS A GUIDANCE REQUEST -- PLEASE SEE PARA FIVE. ¶2. (C) PURSUANT TO REF C, CHARGE AND A/DCM MET IN THE AFTERNOON OF 5/4 WITH SANT'EGIDIO FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR ANDREA RICCARDI TO DISCUSS HOW TO PUSH THE PACE OF THE PROPOSED INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE FOR BOSNIA. RICCARDI'S ASSISTANT, CLAUDIO BETTI, HAD HEARD FROM CARDINAL PULJIC (THE KEY INTERLOCUTOR IN THIS DIALOGUE) THAT PULJIC SUPPORTS THE CONFERENCE BUT THAT THE EARLIEST HE CAN ATTEND WOULD BE JUNE 7-8. SANT'EGIDIO IS PUSHING AHEAD TO CONFIRM THE OTHER INVITEES FOR THAT DATE. A/DCM REMINDED RICCARDI THAT THE IMPENDING HDZ DECLARATION OF A SEPARATE ENTITY IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA HAS LENT SOME URGENCY TO THE CONFERENCE, BUT RICCARDI INSISTED THAT TO HAVE A PRODUCTIVE DIALOGUE PULJIC NEEDED TO BE FULLY ON BOARD, AND JUNE 7 IS THE BEST THEY CAN DO. ¶3. (C) RICCARDI TOLD US THAT SANT'EGIDIO WOULD IN THE MEANTIME HAVE OTHER MEETINGS WITH THE CARDINAL IN WHICH THEY WOULD PRESS HIM TO TAKE A MODERATE LINE VIS A VIS THE HDZ GAMBIT. DON VICENZO PAGLIA WILL SEE PULJIC SOON FOR A CONFIRMATION IN BOSNIA; RICCARDI SAID THAT DON VICENZO WILL PRESS FOR MODERATION, AS WILL RICCARDI HIMSELF WHEN HE SEES PULJIC DURING THE 5/23 CONSISTORY IN ROME. RICCARDI BELIEVED THAT THE FACT THAT PULJIC ACCEPTED THE IDEA OF AN OFF-SITE CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS INTERCOMMUNAL RECONCILIATION INDICATES THAT PULJIC IS "LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT OF THE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 02499 071528Z BOX." ¶4. (C) PER REF B, CHARGE CALLED UK AMBASSADOR PELLEW IN THE MORNING OF 5/4 TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT THAT THE PROJECT IS SANT'EGIDIO'S. (NOTE: POST HAS PUSHED AGGRESSIVELY FOR THE CONFERENCE TO OCCUR ASAP, AS WELL AS FOR CO-FUNDING OF THE CONFERENCE, AND HAS SECURED A PLEDGE FROM THE AUSTRIAN EMBASSY HERE TO PROVIDE AIR TRANSPORT FOR THE BOSNIANS AS WELL AS A PLEDGE FROM THE SWEDISH EMBASSY (EU PRESIDENCY) TO CO-FUND THE REMAINDER OF THE EXPENSES. BUT THE TIME HAS COME FOR SANT'EGIDIO TO TAKE THE REINS. END NOTE.) PELLEW (PLEASE PROTECT),PERHAPS REFLECTING FRUSTRATION THAT HIS MISSION HAS BEEN OUT OF THE LOOP, TOLD US SANT'EGIDIO IS MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN GIVEN SUFFICIENT LEAD TO DO THINGS IN THEIR OWN WAY (READ: SLOWLY AND WITH GREAT DELIBERATION). HE WASN'T CERTAIN THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL EVENT IF "PRESSURIZED" BY THE USG. WE LATER ASSURED RICCARDI THAT WE SEE THIS AS A SANT'EGIDIO PROJECT, AND THAT WE WERE THERE TO HELP AS NEEDED. HE TOO BELIEVED THAT WAS THE BEST APPROACH, AND SAID SANT'EGIDIO WOULD COORDINATE AMONG THE OTHER EMBASSIES INVOLVED. POST WILL NOT HESITATE TO JUMP BACK IN, HOWEVER, IF SANT'EGIDIO LOOKS LIKE IT IS DROPPING THE BALL. ¶5. (SBU) RICCARDI SUGGESTED THAT WE SEE PULJIC WHEN HE IS HERE -- WE CAN DO SO AND WOULD APPRECIATE GUIDANCE FROM DEPARTMENT/EMBASSY SARAJEVO ON WHETHER TO DO SO AND LATEST TALKING POINTS TO DEPLOY. MERANTE CONFIDENTIAL > 2001VATICA02499 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL