CROATIAN PM SANADER'S CALL FOR A CONFERENCE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000950

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SCE HOH/SAINZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2016
TAGS: PREL HR BK
SUBJECT: CROATIAN PM SANADER'S CALL FOR A CONFERENCE ON
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVNIA


Classified By: CDA Greg Delawie for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Croatian PM Sanader's call for a conference on Bosnia
and Herzegovina is primarily an effort to keep the attention
of the international community on the needs of BiH in light
of other high-profile concerns such as Kosovo and Lebanon,
MFA State Secretary Hidajet Biscevic told Charge August 10.
The PM is not looking to spur a conference immediately,
Biscevic said, but in the medium term. The MFA is preparing
a nonpaper on the subject which Post should receive shortly,
he added.


2. (C) Sanader decided to raise the issue publicly at this
point due to the failure of the constitutional reform effort
and the announcement of the Peace Implementation Council that
the Office of the High Representative would close next
summer. He is particularly concerned that BiH will be
"unattended" following the closure of the OHR. Croatia is
interested in the situation in BiH, Biscevic noted, for two
reasons: the GOC wants to see stability in a neighboring
state with which it shares a lengthy border, and is concerned
about the welfare of the BiH Croats who reside there as well.
Sanader hopes to encourage BiH politicians to restart their
efforts to promote constitutional reform.


3. (C) Drawing on Washington guidance, Charge noted that the
USG appreciated Croatia's interest in and support for
constitutional reform in BiH. That said, he explained that
the international community in BiH has tried to avoid further
discussion of constitutional reform issues in the run-up to
the October 1 elections, given the risk of nationalists from
all three ethnic groups taking advantage of the topic in an
effort to make electoral gains. Charge asked that the GOC
hold off on further discussions of this proposal until after
the elections, and that it work closely with the USG, EU, and
the rest of the international community to promote stability
in BiH.


4. (C) Biscevic agreed with Charge's proposal. He
emphasized that Sanader's effort was not intended to
influence internal arrangements within BiH (e.g., in favor of
the BiH Croats); it was a "strategic" effort to keep
attention focused on and within BiH in order to promote
positive change. He said that the GOC indeed wanted to
cooperate closely with its international community partners
on BiH stability; Biscevic said that the PM had discussed his
ideas with Adnan Terzic, Olli Rehn, and Jose Manuel Barosso
before making them public.
DELAWIE