Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SARAJEVO194
2008-02-01 16:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Sarajevo
Cable title:  

BOSNIA - LAJCAK RETURNS FROM RUSSIA OPTIMISTIC

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR BK RU EU 
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OO RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVJ #0194 0321608
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 011608Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7754
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUFOAOA/USNIC SARAJEVO
C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000194 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BK RU EU
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - LAJCAK RETURNS FROM RUSSIA OPTIMISTIC
ABOUT FEBRUARY PIC

Classified By: A/DCM Reinert. Reason 1.4(b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000194

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BK RU EU
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - LAJCAK RETURNS FROM RUSSIA OPTIMISTIC
ABOUT FEBRUARY PIC

Classified By: A/DCM Reinert. Reason 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) On February 1, High Representative Miroslav Lajcak met
with Sarajevo-based Quint representatives to discuss his
January 31 trip to Moscow. Lajcak traveled to Russia, where
he met with Deputy Foreign Minister Titov and Political
Director Kharchenko, to discuss the upcoming February 26-27
Peace Implementation Council (PIC),which must, among other
things, decide whether the Office of the High Representative
(OHR) should remain open beyond June 2008. Lajcak told the
Quint that the Russians had expressed concern that "some PIC
countries" wanted OHR to remain open indefinitely, which
Russia strongly opposed. Lajcak told the Russians that this
was not the case but also stressed that it was unrealistic,
given the current political situation in Bosnia, to close OHR
in June. Lajcak explained to the Quint that he outlined his
"benchmarks approach" to the Russians and had suggested
signing a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA),
resolving state and defense property, regularizing Brcko's
status within Bosnia, and resolving outstanding issues
associated with the Indirect Taxation Authority, as possible
benchmarks.


2. (C) According to Lajcak, the Russian response was
positive. The Russians maintained that all the benchmarks
Lajcak had outlined could be achieved by the end of June
2008, which meant OHR could close two to three months later.
The Russians also claimed that Bosnia was now stable and
making progress towards European integration. With that in
mind, the Russians told Lajcak that they "did not see OHR
remaining open beyond the end of the year." The Russians
reportedly told Lajcak that benchmarks must be strictly tied
to Dayton implementation or drawn from OHR's existing Mission
Implementation Plan, adding that Russia opposed use of the
Bonn Powers to accomplish benchmarks. The Russians noted
that Republika Srpska and the Bosnian Serbs have "Russia's
full support" for maintaining Dayton as the "fundamental
framework" for Bosnia. Finally, Russia would strongly oppose
any reference in the February PIC communique to "the
situation in the region" as a rationale for keeping OHR open.

Russians Propose Contact Group
--------------


3. (C) The Russians proposed that Lajcak meet with the
Contact Group prior to the PIC in mid-February to discuss
Bosnia and OHR's future, claiming that they were unwilling to
participate in a Contact Group meeting in January because of
the Serbian elections. Russia also proposed that Contact
Group Political Directors meet in Brussels prior to the PIC
on February 26. Lajcak told the Quint that he supported both
proposals, stressing the importance of securing Russian
support for a PIC decision on OHR's future prior to the PIC
itself. Lajcak told the Quint that an acrimonious PIC,
characterized by a Russian dispute with other PIC members,
would undercut OHR's post-PIC credibility and ability to
perform its mission. Quint representatives suggested that
Quint Political Directors should meet in advance of any
mid-February and February 26 Contact Group.

Comment
--------------


4. (C) Lajcak was optimistic about the outcome of his
consultations in Moscow. He believes that Russia is ready to
compromise on OHR's future provided, as Lajcak put it, "they
are not the only ones compromising." Lajcak believes Russia
is prepared to have a constructive discussion about OHR's
future if it is framed as a response to the question, "how do
we close OHR?" Russia will accept "benchmarks" as the answer
to that question, Lajcak believes. We would certainly
welcome a constructive approach by the Russians in Brussels.
It would be a welcome change from what we are hearing at the
weekly meeting of Steering Board Ambassadors from the Russian
Ambassador. Nonetheless, we reminded Lajcak of Russian
tactics at the February 2007 PIC, which took the decision to
keep OHR open beyond June 2007. We should not allow Russia
to negotiate a "compromise" that it then effectively disavows
with a footnote to the communique, as it did in 2007.
ENGLISH