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