Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SARAJEVO1547
2007-07-16 13:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Sarajevo
Cable title:  

BOSNIA - SREBRENICA: AN ISSUE DEFLATED, BUT NOT

Tags:  PGOV PINR PREL KAWC KJUS BK 
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VZCZCXRO3673
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #1547/01 1971315
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 161315Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6638
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 SARAJEVO 001547 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (DICARLO),EUR/SCE FOR HOH/STINCHCOMB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KAWC KJUS BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - SREBRENICA: AN ISSUE DEFLATED, BUT NOT
EXHAUSTED

REF: A. SARAJEVO 1503

B. SARAJEVO 1429

C. SARAJEVO 1404

D. SARAJEVO 1174

E. SARAJEVO 1028

F. SARAJEVO 556

Classified By: Ambassador Douglas L. McElhaney for reasons 1.4(b) and (
d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 SARAJEVO 001547

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (DICARLO),EUR/SCE FOR HOH/STINCHCOMB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KAWC KJUS BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - SREBRENICA: AN ISSUE DEFLATED, BUT NOT
EXHAUSTED

REF: A. SARAJEVO 1503

B. SARAJEVO 1429

C. SARAJEVO 1404

D. SARAJEVO 1174

E. SARAJEVO 1028

F. SARAJEVO 556

Classified By: Ambassador Douglas L. McElhaney for reasons 1.4(b) and (
d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador and representatives from the
international community July 11 participated in events to
commemorate the 12th anniversary of the 1995 genocide that
took place in Srebrenica. The commemoration followed a
politically tense four months in Bosnia after the
International Court of Justice ruled that "acts of genocide"
were committed "in and around Srebrenica from about July 13,
1995." A concerted effort to address justice, security,
economic and social issues impacting residents of Srebrenica,
led largely by U.S. representatives or Americans representing
the international community, helped deflate a Bosniak
inspired movement for Srebrenica's secession from the
Republika Srpska. This work prevented attempts by Bosniak
member of the Tri-Presidency Haris Silajdzic to exploit the
ICJ verdict for the time being, but we expect Silajdzic will
seek to use the ICJ verdict to raise the political
temperature over Srebrenica again this fall, perhaps by
ensuring the issue is raised before a United Nations body.
END SUMMARY.

Srebrenica - In the Spring
--------------


2. (C) In the wake of the International Court of Justice's
(ICJ) February verdict that genocide occurred in Srebrenica,
Bosniak political leaders, led by Bosniak member of the
Tri-Presidency Haris Silajdzic, began a strident campaign for
"special status" for Srebrenica, essentially calling for its
secession from the Republika Srpska (RS). Bosniak
politicians, working with local Srebrenica politicians, the
ostensibly locally self-generated "Srebrenica Initiative
Board for Secession" and victims' associations, threatened
mass emigration from Srebrenica unless the demands for
special status and for other measures were met. The

Initiative Board, backed by Bosniak political leaders,
created a tent settlement of "Srebrenica refugees" in
Sarajevo, staged protests outside the Presidency, and even
faked an attack on a Bosniak returnee in the village of
Ljeskovik to gain public support for Srebrenica's secession.
Victims' associations also threatened to cancel the annual
July 11 commemoration ceremony and burials of victims from
the genocide that took place in Srebrenica. (Ref F and E).


3. (C) Fromthe outset, the international community rejectedcalls to unilaterally redraw Dayton's territorial oundaries.
Instead, under the Office of the Hig Representative's (OHR)
aegis, the internationalcommunity developed an action plan
for addressing justice and security, economic, and social
concerns of Srebrenica's residents. OHR appointed and the
U.S. funded former U.S. Ambassador Cliff Bond as "Special
Envoy for Srebrenica," and he facilitated the creation of the
Bosnian-led Srebrenica Coordination Group. This group was
charged with ensuring the financial pledges made by the
State, two entities and several Cantons to Srebrenica are
used effectively. (Note: Thus far, RS financial commitments
to Srebrenica are the only ones that have been translated
into concrete results on the ground. End Note.) Ambassador
has led a visible public campaign to promote business
investment in Srebrenica that has led to possible investments
by four U.S. companies. (Ref C). Just before his departure,
former High Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling also
used his Bonn Powers to impose a law bringing the Potocari
Memorial and Cemetery in Srebrenica under state-level
authority. (Ref B).

Lajcak Comes In Like a Lion
--------------


4. (C) On July 10, newly-appointed High Representative Lajcak
signaled his commitment to pursuing war crimes issues and to
addressing the justice and security concerns of Srebrenica's
residents by using his Bonn Powers to remove former RS Police
Chief and suspected war criminal supporter Dragomir Andan

SARAJEVO 00001547 002 OF 004


from his current position as Deputy RS Police Training
Director; suspending 35 active RS police officers, many of
whom were from Srebrenica or municipalities bordering
Srebrenica; seizing the passports of 93 public officials who
may have been involved in the Srebrenica massacre; and
imposing amendments to several laws that will make it easier
to investigate and prosecute suspected war criminals. (Ref
A). The suspensions and impositions represent the
culmination of several months' work by the Principal Deputy
High Representative, Raffi Gregorian. The Ambassador also
took steps to enhance U.S. support for the State Court,
including through the secondment of an additional prosecutor
to the War Crimes Department. The justice and security
justice sectors still need work, however. The BiH Chief
Prosecutor continues to resist U.S. and OHR pressure to
establish a clear war crimes prosecution strategy.

Srebrenica Secession Goes Out Like a Lamb
--------------


5. (C) Lajcak's announcement followed several recent
developments that helped lower the political temperature over
Srebrenica. In June, the Srebrenica tent settlement
disbanded, and the majority of its occupants returned home to
Srebrenica. At the same time, the Srebrenica Initiative
Board dissolved and its organizers formed a non-political
"Association of Srebrenica Genocide Victims" NGO with the
stated goal of gathering victims of genocide worldwide to
engage in information exchange and fight for human rights.
Srebrenica Initiative Board chairman Camil Durakovic,
previously so adamant about secession, recently told us that
the actions the international community has taken since the
ICJ verdict were "the most that could have been expected."


6. (C) Several Bosniak leaders also shifted gears and helped
calm the Srebrenica storm, though Silajdzic and Social
Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zlatko Lagumdzija were not
among them. Party for Democratic Action (SDA) President
Sulejman Tihic and Tuzla Mufti Husein effendi Kavazovic were
among the most constructive interlocutors in June, working
closely with the Special Envoy and the Ambassador to calm
Bosniaks in Sarajevo and in Srebrenica. Tihic was
instrumental in turning off the recent initiative of Bosniaks
on Srebrenica's Municipal Council to unilaterally declare
secession from the RS. Kavazovic has worked with family
associations and members of the tent settlement to encourage
their return to Srebrenica and to lower political rhetoric.

Bosniaks in Potocari - Commemorating July 11th
-------------- -


7. (C) It was against this backdrop that the 12th anniversary
of the Srebrenica genocide was commemorated. On July 9,
Ambassador in his capacity as a member of the Srebrenica
Foundation Executive Board, members of the international
community and Bosnian officials attended the opening of the
Battery Factory's Memorial Room which includes the personal
stories and belongings of Srebrenica's victims. Following
the opening, Ambassador addressed and then joined more than
3000 locals and internationals for several miles on the
"March for Peace," a 75-mile hike tracing the route taken by
Bosniaks fleeing Srebrenica in 1995. These events coincided
with the visit of Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) who
travelled to Srebrenica to accept the "Srebrenica 1995" award
for his work to prevent genocide. Smith was presented with
this honor by the Srebrenica Mothers in an awards ceremony
attended by Ambassador, President Silajdzic, Minister for
Foreign Affairs Sven Alkalaj, Grand Mufti Reis ulema Ceric
and other Bosnian officials. On July 11, in the Potocari
Memorial Center and Cemetery, the remains of 465 identified
victims, the youngest only 13 and 14 years old, were laid to
rest. More than 30,000 people, including the Ambassador,
President Silajdzic, Croat member of the Tri-Presidency
Zeljko Komsic, High Representative Miroslav Lajcak, ICTY
Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte, Special Envoy Bond, Reis
Ceric and members of the diplomatic corps attended the event.
Serb member of the Tri-Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic was on
vacation, and no senior RS official attended the
commemoration. Prior to the ceremony, Ambassador and several
other officials viewed a secondary mass grave unearthed in
Potocari just two weeks ago.


8. (C) Srebrenica Mayor Abdurahman Malkic and Silajdzic

SARAJEVO 00001547 003 OF 004


addressed the crowd prior to the religious portion of the
ceremony. Each called for justice, but also recommended a
tolerant path forward. Silajdzic refrained from making any
inappropriate political statement, but Malkic had to be
persuaded by Ambassador and PDHR Gregorian to cut a portion
of his speech that accused the international community of
sanctioning genocide and committing a crime against the
Bosnian people by imposing the Dayton settlement on Bosnia
and Herzegovina. (Note: Malkic did not strike the offending
language from the written version of his statement, which he
distributed. Malkic, a moderate and mild mannered
interlocutor, is not generally prone to harsh rhetoric.
There is widespread speculation within OHR that
Sarajevo-based political actors urged him to make the
comments. End Note.)


9. (C) The 465 burials dramatically underscored the scale of
the genocide in Srebrenica. Their internment brought the
number of bodies identified and buried in Potocari to 2907
out of an anticipated total of 7,800. The International
Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP) with the support of the
newly established Missing Persons Institute (MPI) (Ref D)
continue to lead efforts to locate, exhume and identify the
remaining 5,000 Srebrenica victims as well as another 8,000
persons missing from the 1992-1995 war. Uncertainty about
the fate of those missing continues to impede the
reconciliation process and enables both victim and
perpetrator to manipulate details of the crime.
Additionally, this identification process remains critical to
bringing war criminals to justice. Forensic evidence
uncovered in mass graves by ICMP scientists, for example, has
been an integral element in ICTY court proceedings in the
Hague.

Serbs In Srebrenica - Commemorating July 12th
--------------


10. (SBU) On July 12, Bosnian Serbs marked Serb Saints' Day
(Petrovdan) and the 15th anniversary of the murder of 69 Serb
soldiers and civilians in the Bratunac and Srebrenica
municipalities of the eastern RS. According to the RS
Government, 3,200 soldiers and civilians were killed in this
region between 1992-1995. In a mass commemorating the
anniversary, Serb Orthodox Bishop of Tuzla and Zvornik
Vasilije (Kacavenda) noted that the Church and the Serb
people sympathize with the sufferings of others during "the
war that was imposed on Serbs." Vasilije said that Serbs are
not collective culprits, and that "it is known who started
the war and what happened afterwards." (Note: Vasilije is
notorious among Bosniaks as the Bishop who blessed Bosnian
Serb paramilitary forces before their campaigns in the
eastern RS. End Note.) During the day, Serbs lined the
streets of Srebrenica in black "Chetnik" T-shirts with photos
of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic and also wore
distinctive symbols of Serb nationalist iconography. At one
point, a Serb military unit lined the streets of downtown
Srebrenica.


11. (C) RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and other RS
government officials also attended the commemoration events
in Bratunac. In comments at the ceremony, Dodik said that
"Serbs are not genocidal people and the RS was not
established on genocide." He continued that the RS "is a
homeland of those who suffered and therefore Srpska has a
right to live" adding that there are also many Serb mothers
who weep for their lost loved ones. Dodik also noted that he
was "hurt" that members of the international community "who
so often speak to us about justice" were not present even
though so many had attended Srebrenica commemoration events
the day before. Dodik's appearance at the event and his
comments understandably offended many Bosniaks. The same day
he also gave a nationalistic and inflammatory interview with
RS television. (Comment: It is unclear why Dodik decided to
make such a strong public demonstration of his "Serb"
credentials. He has long been frustrated and angry with
Silajdzic's incessant attacks on the RS, and may have felt he
had to respond with more nationalist rhetoric of his own.
Alternatively, he may have felt it politically necessary to
counter his subdued reaction to Lajcak's use of the Bonn
Powers against so many in the RS police Regardless, his
comments were unhelpful and further contributed to the
deteriorating political situation in Bosnia. End Comment.)


SARAJEVO 00001547 004 OF 004


Comment - Srebrenica in the Fall
--------------


12. (C) After several months of hard work by the
international community, mainly the Americans at OHR and the
USG, fervor over Srebrenica is one the wane. As we head into
the August holidays, we anticipate it will remain this way at
least until September. It will be important to maintain the
momentum behind the constructive Srebrenica initiatives that
have been launched. With this in mind, the Ambassador plans
to organize another business investment trip to Srebrenica,
which will hopefully include European representatives. The
OHR Special Envoy also plans an investment conference in
October. Despite these and other activities, we expect
Silajdzic will look for ways to again raise the political
temperature over Srebrenica. He has repeatedly signaled that
he plans to pursue the issue at the UN, for example, and we
would not be surprised if tries to put Srebrenica before a UN
body in the fall, either directly, or more likely, through a
proxy.
MCELHANEY