BULGARIA: DELIVERED DEMARCHE ON KARADZIC FAMILY

UNCLAS SOFIA 000547 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ETTC KAWC ICTY BK EU BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA: DELIVERED DEMARCHE ON KARADZIC FAMILY TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS REF: STATE 82494 Political Officer delivered REFTEL points to Ambassador Krassimir Tulechki from the MFA European Directorate I, Balkans on August 11, 2008. Ambassador Tulechki stated that Bulgaria,s position would be in line with that of the EU. He went on to express personal reservations regarding the practicality of continued travel restrictions on the family. He contended that Karadzic,s whereabouts were well-known prior to his arrest, and that the Serbian government did not fail to apprehend him because it lacked information, but rather because it lacked the political will. He thought that Karadzic,s arrest was a part of a public relations campaign, which had been to a certain degree successful. Though his apprehension and trial were UN requirements and not mandatory for EU integration, in Tulechki's opinion they could not help but lend Serbia credibility and ease its integration into the European community. He thought that the whereabouts of Mladic and Hadzic were also most likely known by the Serbian government, and that their apprehension and arrest were unlikely to be hastened by maintaining further restrictions on the Karadzic family. Karagiannis