BOSNIA - OHR/EU POISED TO LIFT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 001202

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE(HOH/FOOKS/STINCHCOMB) AND
S/WCI(WILLIAMSON/VIBUL)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KAWC KCRM CVIS BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - OHR/EU POISED TO LIFT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
AND VISA BANS ON KARADZIC FAMILY

REF: SARAJEVO 1180

Classified By: Ambassador Charles English. Reason 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph seven below.


2. (C) SUMMARY: Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik
continued to make public statements about the July 21 arrest
of Radovan Karadzic. Among other things, Dodik criticized
attacks on the RS by leading Bosniak politicians in the wake
of the arrest and called upon them and others to apologize to
Serbs for crimes committed against them in the 1992-1995 war.
At the same time, Dodik argued Karadzic's arrest in Serbia
had "proven" that the RS, its institutions, and individuals
residing in the RS had not been responsible for harboring
him. With this in mind, Dodik labeled as "illegal" previous
actions by OHR to "punish" Bosnian Serbs for supporting
PIFWCs (e.g., removals, travel bans). Dodik called on the
HighRep to return to the Karadzic family their travel
documents and for the EU to respect "their right" to travel
and see their father. Though Lajcak had promised to consult
with international partners before making a decision to
return the Karadzic family documents, he announced at the
July 24 Steering Board Ambassadors (SBA) meeting that he
would do so as soon as Karadzic was in The Hague. We also
learned that the EU plans to remove the Karadzic family from
its visa ban list. We are concerned about both decisions,
particularly EU plans to lift the visa ban. It is not clear
to us that the potential implications of these decisions have
been considered. Specifically their potential impact on the
broader edifice constructed by OHR, the EU, and the U.S. to
put pressure on the PIFWCs. We recommend Washington weight
in with Brussels and EU Member States and urge that they slow
down and consult before taking a decision. END SUMMARY

Dodik Calls for "Apology" to Serbs and Republika Srpska
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3. (SBU) Dodik and other senior RS officials and political
leaders continued to react to the July 21 arrest of ICTY
indictee Radovan Karadzic. Dodik criticized statements by
the leaders of Bosnia's two largest Bosniak political
parties, Haris Silajdzic and Sulejman Tihic, for using
Karadzic's arrest to "call into question" the existence of
the RS, adding, "this is the moment when others should
apologize to (Serbian President) Tadic, me, and many
important institutions in the RS and in Serbia for killing
Serbs." During a July 23 television interview Dodik was
asked whether Karadzic's arrest might contribute to
reconciliation in Bosnia, and responded that "BiH looks more
like a state falling apart than like a functioning state,
unfortunately." Dodik acknowledged comments made earlier (on
the same program) by SDA Vice President Bakir Izetbegovic
noting that Bosniaks "were ready to accept the existence of
the RS," but Dodik dismissed them as "too late" since
emotions in the RS were "running high due to frequent calls
to abolish the RS."

Dodik Demands Return of Karadzic Travel Documents
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4. (SBU) In addition to commenting critically to statements
by Bosniak political leaders, Dodik expanded on his initial
observations that the RS had been unjustly accused of
harboring Karadzic (Reftel). In a July 23 television
interview, Dodik again stressed that it was now clear
Karadzic had not been hiding in the RS despite frequent
assertions. He criticized decisions taken by then-HighRep
Paddy Ashdown to remove RS officials suspected of providing
support to ICTY fugitives, labeling these decisions
"illegal." Dodik claimed that the RS government will have to
pay "thousands of marks" compensation to these individuals
(as a result, he claimed of "court verdicts"),and implied
that he would now seek compensation in turn from OHR and/or
the international community. Dodik also called for OHR to
return the Karadzic family's travel documents and for the EU
to allow the family to exercise "their right to visit their
father" in The Hague. This position was echoed by other
political leaders from the RS and several RS NGOs, most
notably SPONA, an association of RS war veterans groups.

Lajcak Takes Tough Public Line; EU Pressure to Act
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SARAJEVO 00001202 002 OF 002




5. (C) During a July 23 interview, HighRep Lajcak took a
tough public line on Dodik's call for the return of the
Karadzic family travel documents and the family's so-called
right to travel to The Hague, arguing that this issue should
not be a "top humanitarian priority." He added that the
Karadzic family "is going to have many opportunities to see
their father in years to come. This is not something we can
say about victims from Srebrenica and other places." Lajcak
also stressed that he planned to consult with key
international partners before making any decisions. However,
at the July 25 SBA Lajcak said that he planned to return the
Karadzic family travel documents once Radovan Karadzic is in
The Hague. Lajcak also reported that the EU planned to lift
its visa ban on the Karadzic family. (Note: We understand
that COWEB took a preliminary decision to recommend the
lifting of the ban earlier this week, but that it must still
be confirmed at higher organization level within the EU. End
Note) The French Ambassador,speaking in her capacity as
representative of th EU Presidency, noted that the EU "had
been unde pressure" to lift the travel ban.

Concern Abou Hasty OHR/EU Action on Karadzic Family
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6. (C) The Ambassador expressed concern about Lajcak's
decision to return the Karadzic family travel documents and
EU plans to remove them from their visa ban list. He
underscored that the decisions to seize the documents and to
place the Karadzic family on the visa ban list had been taken
in close coordination with the U.S. and that we had hoped
there would be similar consultation before the decisions were
reversed. The Ambassador stressed that he was concerned
about moving so quickly on the Karadzic family without having
first considered the potential implications of these
decisions. He noted that other PIFWC supporters might now
demand the same treatment, particularly given the loud claims
by Dodik and others in the RS that Karadzic's arrest in
Serbia had proven that individuals in the RS were not
responsible for protecting him. We did not want to
inadvertently collapse or otherwise undermine the work done
by OHR and by SBA members bilaterally to put pressure on by
PIFWCs by cutting off their supporters, particularly with
Mladic still at large.

Comment and Action Request
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7. (C) Though not usually known for the speed of its decision
making, the EU appears to be moving quickly to lift its visa
ban on the Karadzic family while at the same time the HighRep
prepares to return the family's travel documents (despite his
promise to consult with international partners first).
During the SBA the French Ambassador implied that the
intention was to allow a one-off humanitarian visit by the
Karadzic family to The Hague, but others, including Lajcak,
implied it was a blanket lifting of the visa ban. While it
might make sense to allow a "humanitarian visit" we are
concerned that the EU and the HighRep are moving much too
quickly and have failed to consider the downstream
implications of these decisions. The comments by Dodik and
others in the RS clearly suggested that they would like to
use Karadzic's arrest to undermine the entire edifice of OHR
actions against PIFWC supporters. We recommend that
Washington weigh in with Brussels and EU Member State
capitals and ask them to slow down and consult more closely
with the U.S. before acting. There is no need for the EU to
rush.
ENGLISH