BOSNIA: SILAJDZIC AND TIHIC AGREE DEFENSE REFORM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 000036 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR FOR DICARLO, EUR/SCE FOR HOH, FOOKS AND STINCHCOMB, NSC FOR BRAUN, OSD FOR FLORY E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA: SILAJDZIC AND TIHIC AGREE DEFENSE REFORM A KEY PRIORITY REF: A. SARAJEVO 0013 ¶B. 04 SARAJEVO 1023 Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES JUDITH B. CEFKIN, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In meetings with Charge January 5 and 8, Bosniak member of the Tri-Presidency Haris Silajdzic of the Party for BiH (SBiH) and Party of Democratic Action (SDA) President Sulejman Tihic both made clear that defense reform will continue to be a high priority for the new governing coalition. According to the coalition agreement reached January 3, the defense minister is to be appointed by a Bosniak party. SDA and SBiH reached agreement among themselves that the defense minister will be named by SDA. (Note: This lineup changed slightly from that reported ref A. Silajdzic and Tihic decided later at a one-on-one meeting that SDA would get defense and SBiH would get human rights and refugees. End note.) Both Silajdzic and Tihic said they believed it would be in the country's best interest to appoint an individual with the substantive knowledge to understand NATO accession requirements and the political gravitas to see the reforms through. Tihic said that while he had not settled on a candidate, he would coordinate closely with the U.S. and NATO before naming anyone. One potential candidate Tihic floated was Selmo Cikotic, a former Federation Army general and former defense attache in Washington. Silajdzic and Tihic agreed that Chairmain of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CHOD) GEN Sifet Podzic should be allowed to continue in his position until the end of his mandate in two years, but Silajdzic did say that he had not discussed the issue of having Bosniaks hold both the CHOD and ministerial positions with the other members of the Tri-Presidency. Silajdzic and Tihic also shared some of their thinking on priorities for the new government, with Silajdzic citing economic reform and education as keen areas of interest, and Tihic stressing law enforcement and anti-terrorism efforts. END SUMMARY. DEFENSE REFORM A HIGH PRIORITY -------------- ¶2. (C) Both Silajdzic and Tihic made clear that the successful completion of defense reform and full membership in the NATO alliance would be top priorities for the new government. The coalition agreement reached January 3 dictated that the defence minister will be appointed by a Bosniak party. SDA and SBiH since reached agreement that the position would be filled by SDA. In a January 8 meeting with Charge, Tihic confirmed SDA plans to select the new defense minister and assured her that the party would choose a candidate with the technical knowledge required to understand and implement reforms required for NATO membership and the political gravitas to see the reforms through. Silajdzic, too, said he was keenly aware of the need to appoint a professional, apolitical defense minister. Tihic said he would not appoint a new minister-designate without first consulting with both the U.S. and NATO. One person Tihic said he is considering is former Federation General and Bosnian Defense Attache in Washington Selmo Cikotic. NATO barred Cikotic from becoming the first CHOD for the unified Bosnian armed forces after he was accused of war crimes and forced him to retire in April 2004. (See ref B for details.) However, we understand that ICTY looked into this case and did not find any basis for the allegations against him. Upon further investigation, NATO GEN Steven Schook rescinded the order in March 2005, clearing Cikotic, who now is a private businessman. ¶3. (C) On the subject of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Sifet Podzic, Charge stressed to Silajdzic and Tihic the USG expectation that Podzic be permitted to complete his mandate as CHOD as dictated by law. Silajdzic and Tihic both agreed that Podzic should continue in his current position, with both expressing support for the work he has done so far. Silajdzic did mentioned that he had not discussed the subject of having Bosniaks hold both the CHOD and Minister of Defense positions with the other members of the Tri-Presidency, and therefore did not know if any of the other parties would make an issue of it. SILAJDZIC WANTS TO STRESS ECONOMIC REFORM AND EDUCATION -------------- -------------- SARAJEVO 00000036 002 OF 002 ¶4. (C) In addition to pressing forward toward NATO integration, Siladzic said he was most concerned with attracting investors to Bosnia and building a more business-friendly environment. He noted that this was not only important for attracting capital, but also for keeping more young, well-educated Bosnians in the country. He added that implementing economic reforms also would be key to meeting EU accession criteria. Silajdzic also was critical of the largely segregated education system in Bosnia, calling it "fascist." He said his goal would be to find ways to reintegrate Bosnia, and he believed economic development was the way to do it. Silajdzic said he was seeking assistance from the World Bank and other international organizations to supervise banking and other industries to minimize corruption. He further stressed his desire for the High Representative to remain in Bosnia with Bonn Powers to "finish the job." On police reform, he said the process had failed utterly, and that the police directorate's report made "a joke" of the EU's three principles. The end result of police reform was simply maintaining the status quo -- just like the April package of constitutional amendments. TIHIC CONCERNED ABOUT FIGHTING CRIME, TERRORISM -------------- -- ¶5. (C) When asked about his plans for the immediate term, Tihic told Charge he planned to remain party president and take a position as co-speaker of the BiH House of Peoples. He decided not to take the position of deputy prime minister and minister of security, he said, because he thought he would not have enough time to devote to the party. He stressed that he was facing a real dilemma regarding the best choice to head the ministry of security -- the other ministry SDA will fille. He said he had given thought to naming current Minister for Human Rights and Refugees Mirsad Kebo, was was concerned about the state of Kebo's health -- he doubted if Kebo had the energy to take on such a demanding position. In any event, he said, he would work to find a candidate unsullied by charges of corruption and who would be seen as being above politics. He expressed his desire to work closely with the U.S. and the international community on issues of mutual concern, including anti-corruption and counterterrorism operations. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: Silajdzic and Tihic are saying all the right things on defense reform, and Tihic made it especially clear that he wants to make sure his choice for defense minister meets with USG and NATO approval. Whether Podzic's continuing in the CHOD position will become an issue for the Croats and Serbs remains to be seen, but it seems unlikely at this time. Silajdzic remains fixated on the past, seeming to draw a parallel between defense reform and the demilitarization of Bosnia. Nevertheless, he recognizes that membership in NATO is the best guarantee of Bosnia's future security. On other issues, particularly the desire to see a continued large international presence in Bosnia to monitor everything from police to banking would seem to bely a rather unrealistic view, and could be reinforced by the large amount of time he spends talking to the High Rep, who is keen to extend his mandate. Tihic, on the other hand, seems to want to work closely with us on a variety of high priority issues. Whether he is able to impose discipline on his fractured party is another matter. Finally, although neither Tihic nor Silajdzic expressed dissatisfaction with their allotment of ministries, in recent days there have been rumblings on the Bosniak political scene that SDA and SBiH did not negotiate effectively with Serb and Croat parties to get the most desireable ministries. Some of the complaints may just be sour grapes on the part of Bosniak politicians who had hoped for ministerial appointments, but some Bosniak political commentators also have begun to criticize SDA and SBiH for not getting a better coalition deal. END COMMENT. CEFKIN