EU COUNCIL PERSPECTIVE ON BOSNIA REFORMS

S E C R E T BRUSSELS 005226

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID MARR BK EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU COUNCIL PERSPECTIVE ON BOSNIA REFORMS

REF: A. STATE 257395

B. STATE 257497

C. SARAJEVO 3182

D. SARAJEVO 3197

Classified By: Rick Holtzapple, PolOff, Reasons 1.4 (B/D)


1. (C) PolOff has discussed the texts of Secretary Powell's
letters (REFS A and B) to High Rep Solana about
Bosnia-Herzegovina with Stefan Lehne, Solana's key Balkan
policy advisor. Lehne said that Solana's understanding of
the situation and way forward in Bosnia-Herzegovina was
generally in line with the themes of the letters, but not
quite as clear-cut as we had presented it.


2. (C) The EU agreed that both police and defense reform
were needed, as suggested in ref B. But from Lehne's
perspective, the specifics of what needed to be done were
clearest in the field of defense reform, which he noted was
largely an issue for NATO, rather than the EU. He said in
this area his impression was that the "details are all there,
it is only a question of the pace." But on police reform,
while progress on this is clearly one of the EU's 16
preconditions for beginning negotiations on a Stabilization
and Association Agreement with B-H, it is not as clear that
this must lead to a single structure. (We note that Lehne's
view is at odds with the EU position as described in REF D).
The EU was "cautiously positive" regarding progress in this
field, but the necessary final outcome of police reform "is
not completely defined."


3. (S) Lehne also expressed some caution about ref A's
reference to "measures to target those in the Republika
Srpska government who are most responsible for obstructing
ICTY cooperation." He did not argue that it was the wrong
way to go, but said he was not sure that High Rep Ashdown was
as intent on going after a broad swathe of SDS and PDP
leadership as the US seemed to be suggesting.

COMMENT
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4. (S) Lehne, of course, does not have final say about what
actions the EU might take against Republika Srpska officials
-- such a decision would have to be taken by EU Member States
in the Council. But his reaction does not give us much
optimism that the EU would be prepared to follow the US lead
in imposing measures against a list of any length without a
lot of heavy lifting from Ashdown's side.

SCOTT