BOSNIA: DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES COALITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 001929 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR (DICARLO),EUR/SCE (HOH, FOOKS),EUR/RPM DOD FOR CAGAN, FATA, BEIN USNIC FOR WIGHTMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MARR BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA: DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES COALITION DEPLOYMENTS, NATO INTEGRATION, DEFENSE REFORM REF: SARAJEVO 1563 Classified By: DCM Judith Cefkin for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Ambassador paid a farewell call on Bosnian Minister of Defense Selmo Cikotic September 5, highlighting the importance of Bosnia's continued support for coalition operations, and the necessity to finish the defense reform agenda in order to make the country a credible candidate for NATO membership. The Ambassador raised the issue of the Bosnian Armed Forces undertaking counter-improvised explosive device (c-IED) training, a suggestion the Minister accepted. For his part, Cikotic requested USG input on the Ministry of Defense's draft peace support operations plan that would outline future Bosnian overseas deployments. The Minister also discussed the possibility of donating surplus Bosnian tanks to the Iraqi Army, and asked for a formal request if we were serious about arranging a donation. End Summary. Iraq/Coalition Deployments -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador stressed the importance of maintaining Bosnia's contributions to peace support operations and looking for opportunities in the near-term to expand on the deployments. The Ambassador noted the positive example set by the Bosnian Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, which has served alongside coalition forces for over two years. Cikotic stated his strong support for this position, and told the Ambassador the MOD was preparing a draft plan for peace support operations that would outline Bosnia's potential contributions for the coming years. Cikotic said he hoped to have the plan submitted to the Presidency for approval by the end of October, and requested USG advice and guidance on proposed niche capable units and deployments that the Armed Forces could undertake. Cikotic stated that the time was right to consider expansion of overseas missions, and he would focus the Ministry and Bosnian Armed Forces on developing additional deployable capabilities. In particular, Cikotic said deployments must be viewed in the context of Bosnia's PfP goals, and should include participation in the Afghan or other NATO missions, military police activities, and UN observer missions. 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador again raised the possibility of the EOD unit receiving counter-improvised explosive device (c-IED) training to develop an important niche capacity within the Armed Forces. The Ambassador stressed that such training would not dictate a change in mission for the Bosnians in Iraq, but would put the Bosnian Armed Forces in a position to provide a valuable service if the political decision was reached to take on a more dangerous activity in Iraq or elsewhere. Cikotic stated his agreement with this point, and told the Ambassador that c-IED training would be included in the MOD's peace support operations plan. He stated that training itself was not controversial, but a decision to undertake a c-IED missionin Iraq could face political opposition. KEEP MOMENTUM ON DEFENSE REFORM -------------- ¶4. (C) The Ambassador reminded Cikotic that Bosnia must "remain focused" on it goal of NATO membership and use the accession process to push forward the defense reform agenda. Above all, the Ambassador said defense reform remained the model for reform processes in Bosnia, and its success to date was affirmation that effective state-level institutions could be developed and function here. Despite recent negative comments from RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik about the Armed Forces, the Ambassador noted the positive development that the necessity for defense reform is largely uncontested by the political leadership. The Ambassador said it was good to keep a positive focus on defense reform and the military. The MOD should be looking for opportunities to communicate this message to the public, he concluded. ¶5. (C) Cikotic said that Bosnia is "proud that the US started and supported defense reform" and affirmed that defense reform showed that the path to NATO and EU must be through the creation of viable and effective state-level institutions. Cikotic expressed his belief that the best way to "protect ethnic interests in Bosnia" is through building state-level institutions that will benefit Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. Cikotic opined that Bosnia was ahead of the other two recent PfP invitees, Serbia and Montenegro, in the PfP process, a fact which had substantially raised morale in the MOD and Armed Forces. In this context, Cikotic stressed that it was time to capitalize on the positive momentum generated by the process and "to move ahead of the NATO schedule" by pushing the entire Bosnian government to meets its obligations and commitments in the near-term. ¶6. (C) Cikotic informed the Ambassador that as part of this strategy, the Ministry had already begun developing Bosnia's first Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and scheduled an inter-ministerial planning conference for mid-September to make other government institutions aware of their responsibilities as Bosnia moved closer to NATO, and expose any gaps in the coordination. Cikotic expressed his "fear" that the MOD was "ahead of the pack," but the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Security had to get a better grasp of their obligations in the integration process. Cikotic also informed the Ambassador that he had recently appointed Deputy Defense Minister Igor Cranadak as Bosnia's first NATO/PfP Coordinator. Crnadak will chair a senior-level inter-ministerial coordination body that will maintain a technical secretariat in the NATO HQ offices here. Cikotic stressed that the creation of this body was further indication that Bosnia was "serious about joining NATO." (Comment. In our assessment, Crnadak is an excellent choice for the coordinator position. End Comment.) Defense Property -------------- ¶7. (C) As one of the last major open elements of defense reform, the Ambassador pushed the need to resolve the defense property issues in the near-term (reftel). The Ambassador stressed that the MOD was the prime stake-holder in this process and needed to be involved in all discussions of the defense property working group that will shortly meet to finalize the transfer arrangement. Cikotic said he agreed, and that he has backed off his previous distancing from the dealings of the working group. Cikotic told the Ambassador that he had just been informed that the MOD would represent the COM at the discussions and would chair the meetings. Cikotic said that he initially felt the MOD had been purposely excluded from the defense property meetings but he was prepared to engage now that the interests of the Ministry and Bosnian Armed Forces were to be taken into account. Cikotic noted that defense property was a highly political issue, and he was somewhat leery of taking a position that would inflame Dodik and the RS leadership but he would "not back down" if the RS or any other party attempted to undercut his bottom line-- that the military must take possession of all items necessary for defense needs. Surplus Arms and Ammunition, Tanks to Iraq? -------------- ¶8. (C) The Ambassador engaged Cikotic in a lengthy discussion over surplus arms and ammunition in Bosnia. The Ambassador highlighted that the sheer volume of these surplus arms and munitions posed a direct threat to local communities and regional stability, and pushed the Minister to develop a comprehensive approach to getting rid of the items through sale, donation and destruction. Cikotic informed the Ambassador that the Ministry was developing just such a plan, and that he hoped to distribute it for review to interested international parties in the near term. Cikotic affirmed that the matter required a comprehensive approach, and said that the removal of all surplus items from Bosnia was one of his "highest priorities." ¶9. (C) In this context, Cikotic raised the possibility of donating surplus M84 tanks to the Iraqi Army, a proposal we had previously discussed with him informally. Cikotic said he was only waiting for a formal request from us to begin the legal process to approve the donation. Cikotic said that it seemed reasonable to assume that Bosnia could donate approximately 30 of the tanks, and he would take a leading role in lobbying for their donation if a request was made. The Ambassador pointed out that the donation would probably draw political flak from the RS, as all the tanks were from former Army of RS stockpiles. Cikotic indicated that he thought the issue was manageable, especially if a counter donation from former Federation stockpiles could be arranged. Cikotic further requested that if the donation were to occur, it be handled in a transparent manner to head-off any political or media attacks that the items went to unintended recipients. Comment: Cikotic Presents a Window of Opportunity -------------- -------------- ¶10. (C) In his first four months in office, Cikotic has developed into one of our strongest bilateral partners. During the farewell call with the Ambassador, Cikotic presented the image of a strong leader prepared to expend capital pushing forward the defense reform and NATO agenda. Though, considering the political climate here, we do not fully share Cikotic's optimism on the ease of securing further coalition deployments, the donation of surplus defense items, and the speeding up of the NATO integration process, we certainly have a strong backer for our priorities in the Ministry of Defense. Cikotic's stance on deployments in particular has presented us an opportunity to develop Bosnia's contributions to peace support operations. Cikotic's request that we provide input to the deployment plan allows us to shape future deployments toward our joint priorities and should be taken seriously. MCELHANEY