ENGAGING SERBIA'S MUSLIMS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BELGRADE 002007

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EUR/PGI - IWEINSTEIN; EUR/PPD - LDAVIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO KISL PGOV PHUM PREL SR
SUBJECT: ENGAGING SERBIA'S MUSLIMS

REF: STATE 185834


1. (sbu) The Republic of Serbia is a multiethnic, multi-religious
state. There are two significant indigenous Muslim communities:
Bosniak Muslims, who are ethnic Slavs and have extensive ties to the
Bosniak community in Bosnia, and Albanian Muslims, who are ethnic
Albanians and have extensive ties to the Albanian communities in
Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania. Most of the ethnic Slavic Muslims
live in the Sandzak area covering parts of Serbia and Montenegro,
and bordering on Bosnia. The majority of ethnic Albanian Muslims
live in Southern Serbia along the administrative boundary with
Kosovo and the border with Albania.


2. (sbu) There have been very few reports of incidents inspired by
radical Islamic ideas or anti-Americanism, and claims of the
increase of radicalism in the Sandzak have been exaggerated. In
fact, because of the role of the United States during the armed
conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, the great majority of Muslims in
Serbia are pro-American.


3. (sbu) Embassy Belgrade has undertaken significant efforts to
bolster living standards, democracy, peace, and understanding of the
U.S. throughout Serbia. Because of the unusual and unique issues
present in Serbia, efforts focus mainly on ethnic minorities, rather
than religious minorities -- issues are not "Muslim" issues, but
rather "Bosniak" or "Ethnic Albanian" issues -- and a great deal of
our programming is centered on interethnic cooperation.


4. (sbu) The Embassy engages daily to reach out to all audiences,
including Muslim audiences in Serbia, particularly in the Sandzak
and in Southern Serbia, through a variety of programs in PD and AID,
plus through other Embassy offices like POL and ECON. We are
continuing our efforts to engage with Serbian and Albanian leaders
in southern Serbia, to encourage and support moderate Muslims in the
Sandzak and in Belgrade, and to work with Serbia's law enforcement
and security infrastructure to discourage transnational terrorists
from using Serbia as a transit route or safe haven. As requested
reftel, below is an outline in EUR/PPD suggested format, of our
ongoing outreach goals and programs.


5. (sbu) Public Diplomacy and Related Engagement Strategy, Serbia

Negative Narrative: The goal of these programs is to overcome
pervasive negative stereotyping of Muslim communities in Serbia by
Serbian media and political leadership; secondarily, the goal is to
allay feelings of disenfranchisement from Serbian politics and
society from Serbia's Muslim communities.

Media Environment:
-- Radio, TV, and Internet Access: Most Serbians get their
information from television (87%) and print media (59%). Less than
4% of the public use the internet as an information source, and less
than 8% use the radio. There are five major television stations in
Serbia that recently received the national license issued by the
Serbian Broadcasting Agency: Public service Radio Television Serbia
(RTS); entertainment TV Pink; newly established FOX TV (no regular
program yet); independent TV B92; and small Kosava-Happy TV. The
Broadcasting agency also granted five national radio licenses - to
B92, Radio Index, Radio S, Roadstar and Radio Focus. The allocation
of frequencies was an attempt to regulate the previously chaotic
state of the broadcast media sector where outlets have long operated
without licenses. Many media outlets rely on three local wire
agencies (state owned Tanjug, and privately owned BETA and FoNet),
as well as international agencies.

-- Most widely accessed broadcast stations: The most widely
accessed broadcast stations are public service Radio Television
Serbia (RTS); popular TV Pink (owned by controversial businessman
Zeljko Mitrovic, formerly an official of the now defunct Yugoslav
Left party) and independent TV B92 (which grew out of the
anti-Milosevic Radio B92.)

-- Media obstacles: The Embassy has some concern about declining
ethical standards and a rise in tabloid journalism, both in print
and electronic media. No censorship exists in Serbia. The
government does not own or directly control any print or electronic
media, except state-owned TANJUG news agency. The Law on Free
Access to Information regulates the rights to access information of
public importance held by public authority bodies, with the purpose
of the fulfillment and protection of the public interest to know and
attain a free democratic order and an open society.

Strategic Goals:


1. To increase sustained political engagement between Serbian
government and ethnic Albanian-majority municipalities in southern
Serbia.


2. To encourage moderate and progressive Islamic elements in the
Sandzak.

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Target Audiences and Suggested Programs:

Goal: Sustained Engagement in Southern Serbia

Target Audience - Serbian government ministries (especially
Interior, Finance, Trade, Local Administration, Office of Minority
Rights)

Justification - Despite significant investments over the last five
years, Serbian ministries are viewed locally as non-responsive or
openly hostile to the needs of ethnic Albanian communities in
southern Serbia. In addition, specialized police forces have a
reputation for heavy-handedness in dealing with local populations.
The USG and the international community are seen as mediators/honest
brokers between the Serbian government ministries and local
populations.

Specific Programs targeting this audience - We are using the
American Corner in Vranje and the American Window in Bujanovac to
host programs to bring Serbian and Albanian leaders together to
encourage dialogue in roundtable formats; we engage regularly with
the Serbian Interior and Defense ministries to monitor complaints
against their officers in Southern Serbia; we engage regularly,
along with the OSCE and EU Missions, with the Coordinating Body for
Southern Serbia, a GoS body designed to liaise between Belgrade and
ethnic Albanian-majority municipalities and ensure that their
economic, educational, and social development needs are being
addressed; Democracy Commission grants have been used in part to
fund capacity-building workshops for local ethnic Serb and ethnic
Albanian leaders. Embassy visitors frequently speak to local
electronic and print media in Southern Serbia.

Target Audience - Serbian Media

Justification - Some mainstream Serbian media has an implicit or
explicit anti-Muslim or anti-Albanian bias. Local ethnic Albanian
media can have a similar, anti-Serb bias. This has increased as
Kosovo final status talks have progressed. Sensitizing the Serbian
mainstream media to ethnic Albanian concerns and vice versa is an
important part of creating an atmosphere of tolerance.

Specific Programs targeting this audience - PD has been engaging
actively with Belgrade and local journalists to educate them on
Kosovo-related issues, including journalist exchanges to take
Serbian journalists to Kosovo and Kosovar journalists to Belgrade;
through the Information Resource Center, PD is providing educational
materials on Kosovo via Web link in the Serbian and Albanian
languages.

Target Audience - ethnic Albanian political parties in southern
Serbia

Justification - Local ethnic Albanian Muslim political leaders can
have the most influence on determining the amount of engagement in
the Serbian political process in ethnic Albanian-majority towns in
southern Serbia.

Specific Programs targeting this audience - The Embassy routinely
and aggressively engages with ethnic Albanian political leaders to
encourage them to sustain their participation in the Serbian
political process at both the local and the national level; Embassy
and the international community encourage continued contact between
ethnic Albanian leaders and the Coordinating Body; our annual Iftar
dinner always includes key ethnic Albanian Muslim leaders from
southern Serbia.

Target Audience - General public in southern Serbia

Justification - Supplementing our work with political elites, our
people-to-people diplomacy fosters individual contacts that break
down stereotypes and encourages tolerance and communication.

Specific Programs Targeting this Audience - US Speaker programs have
engaged local audiences on religious tolerance; Democracy Commission
programs have encouraged assistance to socially vulnerable groups
and encouraged greater political participation among youth; IV
programs have brought Albanian and Serb youth leaders together on
grassroots democracy programs; high school exchange programs
regularly mix ethnic Albanian Muslim and ethnic Serb Orthodox
children on programs; USAID has provided substantial support to
development of SME, job creation and training, and assistance to
youth, to create feelings of belonging in these communities.

Measures of Effectiveness - (A). Ethnic Albanian political parties
participate in parliamentary, presidential, and local Serbian
elections; (B). The Coordinating Body for Southern Serbia continues
to receive funding and ministerial-level participation from the GoS,
and budgets for economic development projects in the region; (C).
Equivalent references to "Albanians" and "terrorists" ceases in

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mainstream Serbian media, as does common usage of the pejorative
"shiptar" to refer to ethnic Albanians; (D); "Flag Day" celebrations
in ethnic Albanian majority towns include invitations to Serb
leaders and public statements by ethnic Albanian leaders encouraging
engagement.

Goal - Encouraging and Supporting Moderate Islamists in the Sandzak

Target Audience - Muslim religious leaders in the Sandzak

Justification - The Sandzak Mufti is the spiritual leader of most of
the Muslims in Serbia, and has been a moderate leader in dealings
with us. Supporting him and other moderate Islamic leaders in the
Sandzak and elsewhere in Serbia will strengthen their authority
within their communities and prevent more radical influences from
neighboring countries from gaining purchase.

Specific Programs targeting this audience - IV Programs have
included Serbian Muslim spiritual leaders; our annual iftar dinner
includes invitations to key Muslim leaders from throughout Serbia,
including the Muftis in Novi Pazar and Belgrade; we have also held
additional iftars in Novi Pazar itself to include a broader range of
Muslim spiritual and civic leaders in the Sandzak.

Target Audience - regional and national Serbian media

Justification - Some mainstream Serbian media has an implicit or
explicit anti-Muslim bias. This can lead to feelings of anomie in
the Muslim community towards the Serbian state. Sensitizing the
Serbian mainstream media to Muslim concerns is an important part of
creating an atmosphere of tolerance.

Specific programs targeting this audience - PD has been engaging
actively with Belgrade and local journalists to educate them on our
Muslim outreach activities.

Target Audience - general population

Justification - People-to-people diplomacy fosters individual
contacts that break down stereotypes and encourages tolerance and
communication, creating a stronger bond between Serbian Muslims and
their state. Economic and social development and protection of
minority rights buffers against extremist influences

Specific programs targeting this audience - US Speaker programs have
focused on communities in the Sandzak; Democracy Commission grants
have targeted raising political awareness among youth in Novi Pazar;
high school exchange programs look to include children from the
Sandzak wherever possible; an American Corner is planned for Novi
Pazar to increase our outreach capabilities; USAID assistance has
targeted economic and social development programs, to include SME
development, in the Sandzak; the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural
Preservation has focused on rebuilding Islamic cultural and
educational facilities in Novi Pazar and in Belgrade; our POL
section meets regularly with political, cultural, and religious
leaders in the Sandzak, and engages regularly with high school
students, to discuss current events.

Measures of Effectiveness - increasing levels of participation from
the Sandzak in USG sponsored outreach events and IV and exchange
programs, decrease in reports of Wahhabist influence in the Sandzak.


POLT