DEMARCHE DELIVERED: URGING THE EU TO MAINTAIN

S E C R E T BUDAPEST 000784 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CE-JAMIE LAMORE E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2018 TAGS: KAWC PREL ETTC ICTY BK EU HU SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: URGING THE EU TO MAINTAIN TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON THE KARADZIC FAMILY REF: SECSTATE 82494 Classified By: PolOff Ryan C. Leong, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) Ref talking points were delivered on August 4 to GoH Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials Zsolt Pataki, Head of the EU Foreign and Security Policy Department, and Dr. Attila Pinter, Coordinator for the Western Balkans and outbound Deputy Chief of Mission to Macedonia. Pataki stated that Hungary had no official opinion on this matter but privately he expected that no action would be taken at least through August, given the vacation plans of European officialdom. Furthermore, he had no inclination to recommend that Hungary lift the current ban on Karadzic family travel. He realized, however that this decision would likely be made at a higher level among EU ministers or even heads of government. Pataki felt that no action was needed at this time given that Karadzic family members may face legal action themselves in the near future. ¶2. (S) Pinter noted that France raised the issue of lifting the travel at the last COWEB meeting held on July 24 as part of a routine procedural review whenever a wanted suspect is apprehended on Interpol, Europol, ICTY or similar warrants. A decision was not reached by the end of the meeting but it was clear to Pinter that France strongly desired movement on the topic, in the direction of lifting the travel restrictions. In addition, Pinter received a call on July 25 from a GoH MFA official detailed to the Office of the High Representative (OHR) who stated that High Rep Miroslav Lajcak was under "enormous pressure" to return the Karadzic family's passports and support lifting the travel restriction. Pinter said that Lajcak had denied the family's request to visit Karadzic while he was detained in Belgrade. Levine