BOSNIA - MANPADS OUTREACH

S E C R E T SARAJEVO 000596 SIPDIS SIPDIS ZAGREB PASS BELGRADE; EUR/SCE (HOH, FOOKS, STINCHCOMB); PM/WRA FOR ADAMS, MORIMOTO E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2018 TAGS: PREL PARM EAIR MCAP MARR BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA - MANPADS OUTREACH Classified By: DCM Judith B. Cefkin. Reasons 1.4 (b),(d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (S) Special Envoy for MANPADS Threat Reduction, Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr., visited Sarajevo from March 19-21 to discuss with Bosnian and international law enforcement and security officials the possibility of remaining unsecured MANPADS in Bosnia. Ambassador Bloomfield stressed that if a black market for residual Yugoslav-era MANPADS exists in Bosnia the USG is concerned that terrorist organizations in Western Europe could come to view Bosnia as a source of weapons for terrorist attacks. Senior officials at EUFOR, SIPA, EUPM, OSA, OHR, the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces all stated that they were unaware of any ongoing traffic in MANPADS in Bosnia but could not completely discount the possibility that unsecured MANPADS exist in Bosnia. The officials all expressed keen awareness of the threats posed by MANPADS and promised to work closely with the U.S. in the event any MANPADS-related information comes to light. End Summary. ¶2. (S) During a March 19-21 visit to Sarajevo, Special Envoy for MANPADS Threat Reduction, Lincoln P. Bloomfield. Jr., met separately with Bosnian Intelligence and Security Agency (OSA) Director Almir Dzuvo, NATO Sarajevo HQ Commander MGen Richard Wightman, EUFOR Commander Major General Ignacio Marin Villalain, Deputy Defense Minister Marina Pendes, CHOD Sifet Podzic, State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) Deputy Director Sead Lisak, Principal Deputy High Representative Raffi Gregorian, and EU Police Mission Head General Vincenzo Coppola. ¶3. (S) Ambassador Bloomfield briefed on USG concerns that a number of MANPADS could possibly remain unsecured in Bosnia posing a threat to aviation in Western Europe, noting that the Department could bring significant resources to bear to secure any black market MANPADS that come to the attention of authorities in Bosnia. He noted that he was visiting Bosnia to determine whether there were sufficient indicators of an ongoing trafficking problem to justify exploring instituting a program in Bosnia to secure black market MANPADS. He stressed that the USG is not considering a return to the type of acquisition program implemented in 2004 and would not seek to secure MANPADS through off-line transactions directly with individuals using Embassy personnel. He stressed that the Department is ready to act quickly if needed but would not seek implementation of a program if it would complicate other USG objectives given the sensitive political climate in Bosnia. He also noted that the objective of an acquisition program would be to secure MANPADS in Bosnia, not/not to create a magnet for MANPADS from neighboring states. Ambassador Bloomfield urged the officials to remain vigilant to the possibility that MANPADS could remain in private hands in Bosnia and to keep the U.S. informed if any intelligence comes to light on the issue. OSA Director -------------- ¶4. (S) None of the Bosnian and international officials offered any specific information about unsecured or black market MANPADS in Bosnia. They acknowledged, however, that they could not discount the possibility that a number of Yugoslav-era MANPADS could have remained in private hands after the war. OSA Director Almir Dzuvo noted that the 2004 Department of State MANPADS acquisition program had shown good results. However, he was unaware of any current MANPADS-related black market activity in Bosnia. Dzuvo said that the current rate for a black market MANPADS in the region was thirty thousand euros. However he noted that black market MANPADS in the region are of Serbian, not Bosnian, origin and that most of the MANPADS secured during the 2004 acquisition program had originated in Serbia. Dzuvo was generally dismissive of the capabilities of Bosnian law enforcement agencies to monitor and interdict any black market trade in MANPADS. Dzuvo promised to follow up with additional information on the issue of Serbian-origin MANPADS, specifically the origin of weapons secured under the 2004 program. (Note: He subsequently provided this information to us. However, it did not offer conclusive evidence of the origin of these MANPADS. End Note) NATO Suggests EUCOM Role -------------- ¶5. (S) Ambassador Bloomfield met with NATO Sarajevo HQ Commander Major General Richard Wightman to discuss NATO views on MANPADS traffic in Bosnia and the possibility of a U.S. military component to any future MANPADS removal program. MGen Wightman said although some traffic in small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) continues in Bosnia, particularly in relation to organized crime, he had not seen any indications of ongoing traffic in MANPADS since he assumed command. MGen Wightman said that in principle NATO would support any future MANPADS program, but any U.S. military operational role must be implemented by EUCOM rather than NATO Sarajevo due to the lack of personnel. He undertook to raise the issue with EUCOM Commander Craddock. MGen Wightman stressed that any future MANPADS program must ensure that it targets only Bosnian origin MANPADS and does not create a market for the inflow of weapons from neighboring countries. He noted that the NATO Sarajevo Operation Harvest weapons buyback program was largely dormant but could possibly provide a framework for a future MANPADS program. He pointed out, however, that legislation granting amnesty to individuals who hand in illegal weapons had expired which could raise legal problems for any future MANPADS program. Security Officials Unaware of MANPADS Activity -------------- - ¶6. (S) Other Bosnian and international officials were receptive to USG concerns but had no knowledge of any ongoing traffic in MANPADS. Deputy Defense Minister Pendes and CHOD Podzic noted that all Bosnian military stockpiles of MANPADS had been destroyed in 2004 and no items remained unaccounted for from those holdings. EUFOR MG Villalain stated that there had been no EUFOR intelligence on unsecured or black market MANPADS since 1995. During a separate meeting Principal Deputy High Representative Gregorian cautioned that EUFOR intelligence capabilities are weak but added that he too had not heard of any MANPADS-related information through his own information channels. SIPA Deputy Director Lisak also stated that during his tenure, SIPA had not encountered any MANPADS-related leads during any of its investigations. EUPM Head General Coppola also stated that his organization had not uncovered any large weapons caches in recent years and had not heard any indications that Bosnian smuggling routes were being used to transport MANPADS. None of the officials, however, could guarantee that no Bosnian MANPADS were available in the country's black market. Officials Promise to Remain Vigilant -------------- ¶7. (S) In response to the briefing by Ambassador Bloomfield, each of the officials expressed awareness of the threat posed by MANPADS and the potential damage to Bosnia's Euro-Atlantic integration process and fragile economic development resulting from a terrorist attack using a Bosnian-origin MANPADS. The officials unanimously promised to remain vigilant for indications of MANPADS trafficking in their respective jurisdictions and to inform the USG in the event there are any indications of such activity. ENGLISH