BOSNIA: AMBASSADOR FOCUSES ON POLITICAL SITUATION,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 002179

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR (DICARLO),EUR/SCE (HOH, FOOKS),EUR/RPM
DOD FOR FATA, BEIN
USNIC FOR WIGHTMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA: AMBASSADOR FOCUSES ON POLITICAL SITUATION,
EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION, POLICE REFORM IN INITIAL
PRESIDENCY MEETING


Classified By: Ambassador Charles English for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

SUMMARY
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1. (C) Ambassador made his initial call on the Bosnian
Tri-Presidency October 9, stressing US support for Bosnia's
Euro-Atlantic integration, the need for constructive
leadership from the Presidency, and the importance of
consensus in moving the reform agenda forward. All three
Presidents affirmed their support for a strong US-Bosnian
bilateral relationship, but engaged in mild sparring when
discussing police reform and the current political situation
in Bosnia. Presidency Chairman Zeljko Komsic voiced his
support for a substantive police reform deal that would not
leave fundamental issues undecided. President Haris
Silajdzic reprised his usual lines about the need to develop
a true democracy in Bosnia, not an "ethnocracy." President
Nebojsa Radmanovic expressed his strong support for a
consensus-based approach to reform, and his hope that real
progress could be realized on police reform in the coming
weeks. End Summary.

DEVELOPMENT KEY TO EURO-ATLANTIC FUTURE
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2. (C) Ambassador made his introductory call on Presidents
Komsic, Silajdzic, and Radmanovic October 9. Ambassador
stressed that the United States continued to support the
development of effective state-level institutions capable of
leading Bosnia on a self-sustaining path towards
Euro-Atlantic integration. "The success of BiH is the success
of the United States," he said. Ambassador told the
Presidents that he hoped a deal on police reform could be
reached in the next few days that would bring Bosnia "a step
closer to Europe." Ambassador cited defense reform as
evidence that functioning state-level multi-ethnic
institutions could be established. Ambassador inquired
whether the Presidents could identify any specific areas
where the United States could play a particularly useful role
in advancing reforms. Ambassador also stressed the
importance that Bosnia contributes to regional stability as
the Kosovo final status process concludes.

US IS NUMBER ONE PARTNER
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3. (C) President Komsic told the Ambassador that Bosnia's
integration into the EU and NATO is appreciated by all three
constituent peoples, but that Bosnia's political leaders had
failed to make the compromises necessary to advance their
candidate aspirations. Komsic affirmed that the United States
is Bosnia's strongest strategic partner, and had done much
over the past decade and a half to rebuild the country
following the war. Komsic, while noting that he had
"personal views about the current situation," asked his two
colleagues to address the broader issue of the stalled reform
process, implying that political parties were directly
responsible for the impasse. President Silajdzic told the
Ambassador that the United States had an important role to
play in making Bosnia a real pluralistic democracy, but that
today Bosnia was an "ethnocracy" not a democracy. Ambassador
responded by observing that democracy must evolve in a manner
that recognizes societal conditions, and that Bosnia had to
develop its own government through consensus based reform.
For his part, President Radmanovic stated that Bosnian
leaders "could have done more" to develop their state and
move closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions, but that consensus
on reforms was key and "fundamental disagreements" remained.

CITIZEN KOMSIC WANTS A SUBSTANTIVE DEAL ON POLICE REFORM
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4. (C) On police reform, President Radmanovic stated that he
hoped to see "the necessary steps in the next several weeks"
that would permit the signing of the EU's Stabilization and
Association Agreement (SAA) in the next "4-5 months."
President Komsic echoed points he raised in an interview over


the weekend, stating that he hoped political leaders would
reach a police reform deal that does not "leave important
issues unresolved." Komsic said that, "as a citizen not
politician," he would accept a political deal that contained
some aspects with which he ersonally disagreed if it was a
comprehensive agreement that definitively concluded police
reform Silajdzic declined to comment on police reform.

ENGLISH