BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY TO VISIT VATICAN?

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 002748 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR: EUR (SWIGERT); EUR/BI (BEECROFT); EUR/WE (VANCLEVE); EUR/SCE (WEXEL) EMBASSY SARAJEVO FOR SENECA JOHNSON FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 73/001 E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV BK VT SUBJECT: BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY TO VISIT VATICAN? REF: A) VATICAN 2282 B) GFROWICK/SJOHNSON EMAILS 4/6-5/9 CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE JOSEPH MERANTE, REASONS E.O. 12958 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 VATICA 02748 181319Z (B),(D). ¶1. (C) AS PART OF OUR EFFORT TO PROMOTE GREATER INTERNATIONAL VISIBILITY FOR BOSNIA'S CROAT MODERATE POLITICIANS (REF A),POST HAS TRIED TO CONFIRM THAT THE HOLY SEE WILL RESPOND POSITIVELY TO THE REQUEST BY FEDERATION OFFICIALS FOR AN INVITATION TO VISIT THE VATICAN (REF B). AS YET, WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO PIN DOWN OUR INTERLOCUTORS IN THE SECOND SECRETARIAT (MFA) ON WHETHER OR WHEN AN INVITATION WILL BE FORTHCOMING. WE HAVE NEVERTHELESS ASSURED THEM WE BELIEVE IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO RESPOND POSITIVELY TO THE REQUEST. IN RESPONSE TO POLOFF'S QUERY 5/14, DFM MIGLIORE SAID THAT HE DID NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN IF A VISIT BY FEDERATION OFFICIALS WAS IN THE WORKS, BUT THAT HE HAD HEARD A RUMOR ABOUT SOME BOSNIANS VISITING. HE THOUGHT THE VATICAN WOULD WANT TO GO SLOWLY, SINCE THEY WERE NOT SURE OF THE SITUATION IN HERZEGOVINA AND WOULDN'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING TO MAKE THINGS WORSE. ¶2. (C) VATICAN BALKANS DIRECTOR JOSEPH MARINO TOLD POLOFF 5/16 THAT HADN'T HEARD ABOUT ANY INVITATION TARGETED AT CROAT MODERATES, BUT HE SHARED WITH CHARGE LATER 5/16 THAT BOSNIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE KRALJEVIC (A CROAT CATHOLIC) HAD INDICATED HE WAS WORKING ON A PROPOSAL FOR A VISIT BY THE BOSNIAN JOINT PRESIDENCY. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: FROM WHERE WE SIT AN INVITATION TO THE JOINT PRESIDENCY LOOKS ONLY SLIGHTLY LESS DESIRABLE THAN THE MORE CROAT-HEAVY LINEUP FROM A FEDERATION DELEGATION AS DISCUSSED REF B. WE DEFER TO DEPARTMENT AND EMBASSY SARAJEVO, HOWEVER, AS TO HOW TO PLAY IT. WE WILL, IN THE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 VATICA 02748 181319Z MEANTIME, CONTINUE TO SEEK CLARIFICATION OF THE STATUS OF THE INVITATION. END COMMENT. MERANTE CONFIDENTIAL > 2001VATICA02748 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL