SOUTH SERBIA: BOMB BLAST IN BUJANOVAC

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000574 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV ASEC SR SUBJECT: SOUTH SERBIA: BOMB BLAST IN BUJANOVAC Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) A late night bomb blast on June 6 at Police Headquarters in the multi-ethnic town of Bujanovac in southern Serbia destroyed a police vehicle but resulted in no fatalities. Police are closely holding information on the incident as they try to gather information on motives and perpetrators. This was the first explosion in this South Serbian town with its mixed Albanian-Serb-Roma community since the peace deal, known as the Konculj Agreement, was brokered in 2001. Local community leaders tell us there is no cause for alarm. End Summary. Explosion at Police HQ -------------- ¶2. (U) At approximately 11:30 PM on June 6, a powerful bomb blast sent pieces of a parked police van outside the Bujanovac Police Headquarters flying up to 100 meters. Several nearby buildings, including the police headquarters, sports center and the OSCE field office, suffered considerable external damage. A team of special investigators from Belgrade examined the scene on June 7. A preliminary police report said the powerful device was either planted under the police van or thrown at it. A police spokesman in the nearby town of Vranje, Dragan Stamenkovic, told us on June 7 that more details about the incident would be known later. The government's Coordination Body for South Serbia told us there currently were no suspects in the attack. In Presevo and Bujanovac the Gendarmerie were placed on heightened alert. Situation to Remain Calm, Local Leaders Are Optimistic -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Outgoing mayor Nagip Arifi, of the Albanian Party of Democratic Action (PVD),told us on June 9 that the local community was upset but the overall atmosphere was calm. Arifi said the political situation was stable, and there was an appropriate (not overwhelming) police and Gendarmerie presence in the area. ¶4. (SBU) Stojanca Arsic, local Serb leader whose coalition won three seats in the local assembly, told us the situation was quiet. On June 9, Arsic said that he believed the bombing was an isolated incident and he did not expect the security situation to deteriorate. "There is no possibility for conflict to emerge," Arsic said. ¶5. (SBU) According to Martin Brooks, the OSCE representative in South Serbia, the police have made a preliminary investigation into the explosion, but there was no known motivation or suspect in the bombing and Brooks thought the explosion was an isolated incident. He said, however, that he was frustrated by the lack of cooperation from the police in providing details about the incident, noting a growing pattern of unresponsiveness from the local police to information requests from the international community. Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The fact that a violent incident took place in such a politically sensitive town is a concern, but at this point we see no reason to believe that it is a precursor to further violence. Post will encourage the police to share the results of their investigation into the incident in order to reassure the local community. End Comment. MUNTER