PORTUGAL SUPPORTS INCREASED PRESSURE REGARDING ICTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 001920 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2016 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL SR ICTY PT SUBJECT: PORTUGAL SUPPORTS INCREASED PRESSURE REGARDING ICTY REF: A. STATE 146343 ¶B. STATE 136492 Classified By: Classified by Pol/Econ Officer Troy Fitrell, reasons 1.5 (b,d) ¶1. (U) Portugal intends to support a European Union (EU) proposal to extend the responsibilities of the Enhanced Permanent Dialogue (EPD) to pressure Serbia to comply more fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY). ¶2. (C) Dr. Liliana Araujo, Director for European Affairs told us September 8 that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had decided that morning to support an EU proposal designed to pressure Serbia to cooperate more extensively with the ICTY, along the lines proposed in Ref (A). The EU proposal is to use the EPD structures to pressure the Serbian government more strongly to arrest the six persons indicted for war crimes who are currently at large. Araujo noted that Serbian representatives had complained to Portuguese interlocutors that Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic in particular were supported by an extensive support network and would be difficult to apprehend. Araujo agreed, however, that this did not absolve the Serbian government from exerting greater efforts. ¶3. (U) On the Ref (B) subject of Kosovo's future, Araujo agreed that a timely resolution was imperative, but that Portugal would follow an EU consensus. Hoffman