NATO DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OLSON MEETS

UNCLAS USNATO 000677 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR, EUR/RPM, EUR/SCE, PM, IO, E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2016 TAGS: NATO PGOV PHUM PREL SUBJECT: NATO DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OLSON MEETS WITH BOSNIAN AMBASSADOR ALKALAJ ¶1. (SBU) On November 16, Bosnian Ambassador to Belgium Sven Alkalaj met with DCM Rick Olson to lobby for Bosnia,s admission to Partnership for Peace (PfP) at NATO's Riga Summit. Alkalaj highlighted the recent elections in Bosnia and gave a brief update on the ongoing formation of the next government, as proof of Bosnia's PfP worthiness. He further remarked on Bosnia's progress, in peacekeeping and defense reform, and the need for Bosnia to keep up this momentum by obtaining PfP. ¶2. (SBU) Olson acknowledged Bosnia,s progress to date on defense reform, but responded that discussion of PfP for Bosnia at Riga was premature citing the requirement for further progress on ICTY compliance. Olson also noted that as a practical matter, some allies viewed Bosnia's interest in PfP as linked to a broader regional context. Alkalaj made two requests of the U.S. -- to use its leverage with the Republika Srpska to induce further cooperation on ICTY and to push for an enhanced Tailored Cooperation Program for 2007 that would resemble PfP in everything but name, which would allow Bosnia to obtain a NATO Membership Action Plan by 2008 or 2009. NULAND