ICTY ACTION PLAN UPDATE NUMBER 1: AUGUST 4, 2006

C O N F I D E N T I A L BELGRADE 001323

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: CLOSURE OF ICTY
TAGS: ICTY PREL PGOV PHUM SR
SUBJECT: ICTY ACTION PLAN UPDATE NUMBER 1: AUGUST 4, 2006


Classified By: Ambassador Michael Polt, reasons 1.4 (b,d)

Summary

This cable describes GoS ICTY Action Plan Implementation as
of August 4, 2006.


1. (c) Emboffs met August 4 (at USG request) with Rasim
Ljajic to try to jump-start the weekly updates the GoS had
proposed as part of the implementation of the Action Plan
(AP). Initial indications are not inspiring, as most of the
effort has been on bureaucracy building. There have been a
few initial actions that could argue for a more robust GoS
effort to find and apprehend Mladic. Ultimately, though, the
success or failure of the Action Plan will depend on
Kostunica's willingness to back it publicly and consistently,
and to prepare the Serbian public for a new policy that
demystifies Mladic and calls for his arrest. End summary.

Housekeeping


2. (c) We agreed to meet every Friday at 1430, right after
Ljajic's internal Action Team meetings finish (he said the
action team is meeting every Tuesday and Friday). We asked
him to make sure to also set aside time to meet with local
ICTY reps and EU officials as well. He said he is already
talking regularly with local ICTY chief Deyan Mihov, and said
ICTY investigators are meeting "daily" with Vukcevic. We
told him we will set up similar meetings between Vukcevic and
RLA in the near future.

Actions


3. (c) Ljajic outlined "actions" the GoS is implementing so
far. Mostly, these are attempts to put financial pressure on
Darko Mladic by sitting on his business interests and
"trying" to close them down. He also said the GoS is
blocking attempts by two brothers-in-law of Mladic from
purchasing/privatizing a furniture concern, "Sipad." He
also said the GoS is planning to go after Karadzic's
publisher, and had under surveillance Karadzic's daughter,
who apparently plans to meet with the publisher.


4. (c) Some other planned actions show more promise:
Ljajic said he will, in Thursday,s government session, call
on the government to remove from his position as deputy of
the Coordinating Body for Southern Serbia General Krstic.
Krstic made public statements in the past weeks that if he
found Mladic, not only would he not turn him in, but he would
harbor him. We told him that if Krstic is fired, senior
people in the GoS need to be very open and public about the
reasons for his dismissal ) in accordance with one of our 11
recommendations.


5. (c) Finally, Ljajic said the GoS plans to bring in Tomic
and Krga for questioning in the near future. He cautioned,
though, that we should not expect to get too much out of the
interrogation.

Media Plan


6. (c) The GoS plans to publish the "most damaging" of the
excerpts from testimony they have received so far from Mladic
supporters picked up in recent days. Ljajic also asked us if
we can provide any assistance ) preferably in the form of a
media advisor or PR advisor, to help him better prepare his
media plan. He promised senior GoS leaders would make
additional statements about the need to arrest Mladic, and
noted the PM already made such a statement two weeks ago. We
reminded him that this needs to be a sustained effort, led by
the PM, not a one-off. Unfortunately, his ability to coerce
the PM to take a more active roll is virtually nil.

Rumors


7. (c) There was a story in local press August 4 that a
sitting minister in 2005 had provided Mladic with medication.
Ljajic said the story was completely false, probably a
garble of information they already have: one of Mladic's
personal bodyguards, Miroslav Stanic, apparently gave the GoS
substantial information on Mladic and his supporters, and
especially information about Jovo Djogo. Stanic told GoS
questioners (Ljajic says) that he heard Djogo in 2003
bragging that Aca Tomic was providing him political cover to
support Mladic. He also overheard a conversation in which
Djogo told someone that current DEFMIN Stankovic had helped
Mladic acquire medications for a stroke and hypertension
(blood thinners or similar). Ljajic and others questioned
Stankovic about his involvement in 2003, and he has denied
it. As an aside, apparently Mladic had 3 separate identities
that he used to get treatment at the VMA through 1997 (Ljajic
said all the doctors were questioned long ago).

Comment


8. (c) Ljajic is as willing as ever to share information
with us regarding the GoS efforts to track down Mladic.
These new operational details do show a greater degree of
openness than in the past, though because of our
long-standing good working relationship with the agencies in
charge of the operational aspects, we have enjoyed access to
similar operational details for some time. Unfortunately, we
have so far seen no movement on the public relations side of
the AP. While still in its early stages, the Action Plan is
still long on plan and short on action.

MOORE