Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SARAJEVO579
2007-03-13 18:49:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Sarajevo
Cable title:  

BOSNIA: SREBRENICA "SPECIAL STATUS" SESSION ISSUES

Tags:  PGOV PINR PREL KAWC KJUS MARR BK 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4198
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #0579/01 0721849
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 131849Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5687
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 000579 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (DICARLO),EUR/SCE (HOH/FOOKS); NSC FOR
BRAUN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KAWC KJUS MARR BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA: SREBRENICA "SPECIAL STATUS" SESSION ISSUES
CONCLUSIONS BUT MAKES NO UNILATERAL DECLARATIONS

REF: A. SARAJEVO 556


B. SARAJEVO 456

C. SARAJEVO 362

Classified By: Political Counselor Michael J. Murphy. Reason 1.4(b) an
d (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 000579

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (DICARLO),EUR/SCE (HOH/FOOKS); NSC FOR
BRAUN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KAWC KJUS MARR BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA: SREBRENICA "SPECIAL STATUS" SESSION ISSUES
CONCLUSIONS BUT MAKES NO UNILATERAL DECLARATIONS

REF: A. SARAJEVO 556


B. SARAJEVO 456

C. SARAJEVO 362

Classified By: Political Counselor Michael J. Murphy. Reason 1.4(b) an
d (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: As a response to the International Court of
Justice's (ICJ) finding of genocide in Srebrenica, Srebrenica
Municipality Mayor Abdurahman Malkic hosted a meeting on
March 12 to discuss proposals that his municipality seceed
from the Republika Srpska (RS) and receive "special status"
as a district under Bosnian state-level authority. Although
there were concerns that participants would unilaterally
declare secession, attendees heeded the Ambassador and High
Representative Christian Schwarz-Schillings' warnings not to
take unilateral action. Mayor Malkic instead focused the
discussion on necessary socio-economic improvements for the
region, but participants still issued a set of conclusions
endorsing special status for Srebrenica. Bosniak political
leadership, with the exception of Bosniak member of the
Tri-Presidency Haris Silajdzic, generally took the
Ambassador's advice to avoid inflammatory rhetoric. RS Prime
Minister Milorad Dodik's public response to the meeting was
also measured. Unlike his colleagues, Silajdzic made a
series of irresponsible comments during the meeting, at one
point accusing the West of abandoning Bosniaks. Steering
Board Ambassadors (SBA) held an emergency meeting today
(March 13) to discuss the meeting and its conclusions and
later issued a statement designed to calm the situation.
(Full text of statement e-mailed to EUR/SCE Fooks.) We will
continue to try to keep a lid on Srebrenica, but it is not
clear whether Silajdzic is prepared to behave constructively.
He is focused on using Srebrenica as a vehicle for
bludgeoning the RS. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) On March 12, Srebrenica Mayor Malkic held a meeting

to discuss "special status" proposals for Srebrenica.
Heeding the warnings of the international community,
attendees did not/not make any unilateral decisions to
declare "special status" for Srebrenica as previously feared.
The majority of the meeting focused on the socio-economic
concerns of Srebrenica's citizens, but participants, which
included representatives of Bosnian institutions and
political party members (primarily Bosniaks),issued 13 main
conclusions at the end of the meeting. The most prominent of
these is the initiative to give Srebrenica Municipality
"district" status "such that it would be excluded from the
jurisdiction of RS institutions and placed under the
jurisdiction of state-level institutions." The conclusions
called on parliament to enact a law at the state-level to
this effect, which would regulate all issues relevant to the
organization of legislative, executive and judicial
authorities in Srebrenica.


3. (C) The participants also concluded that all entity and
state institutions are obliged to respect the ICJ's verdict
(i.e. that genocide was committed in Srebrenica and that
Serbia must bring war criminals to justice.) In addition,
the attendees concluded that BiH officials should take
immediate action to remove war criminals from police forces
and government structures in the RS and to prosecute those
listed as war criminals in the Srebrenica Commission Report.
Other conclusions called for the adoption of financial
programs at the state and entity level that would provide
concrete employment, education, health, and social care. The
session noted its regret that prominent members of the
diplomatic corps and representatives of western governments
did not attend, and condemned the absence of RS government
officials. Attendees warned that it would hold the
international community and local authorities accountable if
they did not do everything within their power to prevent a
further exodus of Srebrenica citizens. Participants
determined that they would meet again in one month to analyze
implementation of these initiatives and that all proposals
for mass expatriation would be put on hold until that time.


4. (C) Embassy contacts who observed the meeting described it
as "constructive" but criticized Silajdzic for making
incendiary comments. SDA President Sulejman Tihic, SDP
President Zlatko Lagumdzija, Croat member of the
Tri-Presidency Zeljko Komsic and Malkic made constructive

SARAJEVO 00000579 002 OF 002


contributions to the discussion, both during the meeting and
in press statements following it. Silajdzic tried to drive a
wedge between Bosniaks and the international community.
Although Silajdzic's public statements centered around his
disappointment that western diplomats chose not to attend the
session, his private comments in the session were much more
inflammatory. "The West has always abandoned us, and they
did again today," Silajdzic said pointing out that only
Islamic diplomats representing Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Libya,
Palestine and Iran attended the meeting. He added that "if
the West hopes to have a dialogue with the Muslim world it
should start in Srebrenica." Further criticizing the
international community's reaction to the Srebrenica
atrocities and the ICJ verdict Silajdzic mused, "if 7000
penguins had been murdered, the world would have reacted more
strongly than it has here" and "the international community
can no longer avoid drawing a parallel between Auschwitz and
Srebrenica."


5. (C) Though some RS officials criticized the meeting for
undermining Dayton, Dodik's reaction was more measured.
Dodik told the press that "it is not a problem to support
anything that is legal," indicating that there are legal
procedures for constitutional changes for those who believe
they deserve special status. He added, however, that RS
officials would "energetically confront" initiatives outside
the law, and that "any official action would require the
approval of the entire presidency, and not just the presence
of two of its members," referring to Silajdzic and Komsic who
were both present at the meeting.


6. (C) According to Mayor Malkic, PM Dodik called him the
morning prior to the meeting asking him to maintain order and
reject any unilateral attempts to declare special status.
Dodik promised Malkic a private meeting in the very near
future to discuss investment opportunities in Srebrenica and
other issues of concern for the area. (Note: Malkic was
quite optimistic that Dodik might support a special status
for the municipality, something akin to an enterprise zone.
Malkic in particular seeks approval to find investment for
the renovation of Srebrenica's mines and spa which were
completely destroyed during the war. He also seeks
compensation for lands in the municipality flooded to provide
hydroelectric power to neighboring Serbia. End Note.)


7. (C) The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board
Ambassadors held an emergency session on March 13 to discuss
the outcome of the Srebrenica meeting and its response.
During the meeting it was agreed that the PIC would issue a
statement emphasizing that the ICJ verdict in no way
guarantees the granting of "special status" provisions for
Srebrenica, but encouraging state and entity authorities to
work together to improve the economic, social and political
conditions in the municipality. During the meeting, High
Representative Schilling reiterated his concerns about the
drastic and disconcerting political stalemate present in the
nation since the ICJ verdict was handed down.


8. (C) COMMENT: We are trying to keep a lid on tensions over
Srebrenica. Prior to the March 12 meeting, the Ambassador
spoke with Mayor Malkic as well as with Bosniak political
leaders (Tihic, Lagumdzija, Silajdic) and Dodik, warning them
to avoid destabilizing moves and rhetoric. Everyone acted on
our advice, except Silajdzic, who was, predictably the most
reckless in his comments. Nonetheless, the Srebrenica issue
has shifted and radicalized the political debate here.
Instead of a political dialogue about how to secure Bosnia,s
integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, we now confront
a debate over the country,s internal boundaries - a debate
Kosovo is increasingly likely to exacerbate. We plan to
continue our dialogue with Bosnia,s political leadership and
will continue to try and steer discussion toward the economic
and social plight of returnees. It is not clear that
Silajdzic is prepared to listen, however. He sees in
Srebrenica an opportunity to force the international
community,s hand on Republika Srpska, provided he pushes
hard enough. Unfortunately, he has found a receptive audience
among Bosniaks who are angry about the ICJ,s verdict and
what they perceive as growing indifference by the
international community to their plight. END COMMENT
MCELHANEY