BIH POLITICIANS CHOOSE HIGH-ROAD IN RESPONSE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 001860 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR (DICARLO),D (SMITH),P (BAME),EUR/SCE (HOH, SAINZ, FOOKS),NSC FOR BRAUN, USNIC FOR WEBER, GREGORIAN, OSD FOR FLORY E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR BK SUBJECT: BIH POLITICIANS CHOOSE HIGH-ROAD IN RESPONSE TO BOMBING OF FORMER PRESIDENT IZETBEGOVIC'S GRAVE REF: SARAJEVO 1852 Classified By: Classified by DCM JCefkin for reason 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Political reaction to the bombing of Former BiH President Alija Izetbegovic's grave, with the exception of one Serb-based party, has been surprisingly measured in this pre-election period. Although the investigation into the attack has yielded few results, some groups, including the Srebrenica Memorial and Cemetery in Potocari, fear that other ethnically sensitive sites might be potential targets. Despite restrained political reactions, conspiracy theories abound among the media and private observers. END SUMMARY. END SUMMARY Politicians Respond with Restraint -------------- ¶2. (U) With a few exceptions, Bosnian political leaders have condemned the August 11 bombing of former President Alija Izetbegovic's grave. Bosniak, Serb and Croat politicians are calling for a thorough investigation and prosecution of what many label "a terrorist attack" meant to destabilize the political situation in BiH. Bakir Izetbegovic, son of the late-President and Deputy leader of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA),said "we should not be taken in by provocation, we should not radicalize things, we should not accept the games terrorists and radicals are playing." High Representative Schwarz-Schilling visited the grave the day of the attack, condemned the bombing and appealed to political and religious leaders to use their authority and influence to prevent an escalation of tensions in Bosnia. ¶3. (SBU) A discordant note was struck by the Serbian Party of Democratic Union (PDP). Deputy Leader and former Interior Minister of the RS, Zoran Djeric, commented that the attack may have been designed "to draw away the attention from vital issues, particularly from revealing the truth regarding Serb war casualties." Mladen Ivanic, BiH Minister for Foreign Affairs and leader of the PDP further commented that his only fear is that the bombing "was an attempt to create a counterpart to recent events regarding the war crimes over Serbs. I hope that it is not a political manipulation." Ivanic and Djeric were alluding to the recently released videotapes of Operation Storm that allegedly show war crimes committed against Serbs (reftel). Investigation Ongoing -------------- ¶3. (C) Investigations into the bombing have thus far yielded few leads. BiH authorities have asked for assistance from Germany, The Netherlands and the Embassy's RSO to gather information about one possible lead involving a car with German license plates seen near the cemetery at the time of the explosion. The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA),a state-level law enforcement agency modeled on the FBI, has taken over the investigation from the Canton of Sarajevo. Media and public attention, meanwhile, has focused on allegations that security measures at the grave were curtailed on July 26th. At this time, according to media reports, all video surveillance of the cemetery ceased when cameras were removed from the cemetery, allegedly for repairs. This fact may or may not be significant, but has fueled a public debate between cemetery operators and the security company responsible for video surveillance. Srebrenica Officials Concerned About Memorial -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In response to the attack on Izetbegovic's grave, Srebrenica municipal officials demanded yesterday that special security arrangements be made for the protection of the Potocari Memorial Center and Cemetery. The cemetery is the final resting place for over 2000 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre. Police presence at the Potocari cemetery and memorial center has increased since the attack and a special session of the Srebrenica Foundation, of which the U.S. is a member, will convene in the coming days to further assess any potential threat. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Despite the measured reaction of politicians, the Bosnian media have already begun to promote conspiracy theories about the attack. There is increasing speculation, notably among Serbs, that SDA hard-liners are responsible for the attack in an attempt to divert attention from Operation SARAJEVO 00001860 002 OF 002 Storm. Others believe it was Serb radicals stirring up even more divisive pre-election ethnic tension. Still, the surprisingly multi-ethnic political condemnation of the event is notable, since politicians have generally preferred to exploit ethnic tensions rather than calm them in the run-up to the elections. END COMMENT. MCELHANEY