BOSNIA - CROAT POLITICS MIRED IN STALEMATES AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SARAJEVO 000565 SIPDIS EUR/SCE (HYLAND, FOOKS); NSC FOR HELGERSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR KDEM BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA - CROAT POLITICS MIRED IN STALEMATES AND RUMORS REF: A. SARAJEVO 556 ¶B. 08 SARAJEVO 1811 ¶C. SARAJEVO 501 Classified By: A/DCM Michael J. Murphy. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Croat political scene of late has been marked by increasing anxiety about the fate of two centers of Croat power -- the city of Mostar and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) parties. After six months of stalemate and frivolous bargaining, HDZ-BiH is reportedly close to an agreement with the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA) on a "power-sharing" agreement for Mostar, by which each party would hold the mayoralty for two years. No firm resolution is likely, though, before the SDA congress on May 26, at which the party will elect its leadership (Ref A). In the middle of this dispute lies the National Party of Work for Progress (NSRzB),a small, previously uninfluential party whose reputation for corruption and lack of a solid platform have made it a troubling kingmaker in the Mostar mayoral race. Meanwhile, at the state level, rumors swirl about the possible impending reunification of HDZ-BiH and its breakaway HDZ-1990. The latter has adopted a set of conditions for the merger that the former is unlikely to accept, but HDZ-1990 VP Martin Raguz is pushing the initiative in the hopes of ascending to a leadership position within the united party. End Summary. Parties Embroiled in Stalemate over Mostar Mayor -------------- --- ¶2. (C) Six months after the October 2008 municipal elections, SDA and HDZ-BiH remain mired in a dispute over the mayoral position in Mostar (Ref B). HDZ-BiH is desperate to hold onto the "Croat capital" and thus far has rejected every offer SDA has proposed. The parties are now considering a "power-sharing" arrangement -- which SDA chairman Sulejman Tihic and HDZ-BiH chairman Dragan Covic have endorsed -- whereby HDZ-BiH and SDA each would hold the post for two years. SDA captured the majority vote in the elections and is therefore reluctant to give up the mayoral seat to HDZ-BiH, which took third place. As such, SDA has neglected to use its leverage to secure more politically advantageous positions in Mostar by ceding the mayoralty to the more desperate HDZ-BiH. In fact, the chairman of the party,s Mostar branch has conveyed to us that SDA will go into opposition in Mostar if the HDZ-BiH candidate is appointed, which would cripple the government, leaving it without the two-thirds majority necessary to pass such crucial items as the budget. HDZ-BiH and the other Croat parties implored OHR in early March to change the Mostar Statute to allow for the direct election of the mayor, but OHR did not grant their request. (Note: A small Croat party has put an initiative before the Federation Parliament to provide for the direct election of the mayors in both Mostar and Sarajevo. End Note.) OHR now is preparing correspondence to the City Council urging it to find a solution as quickly as possible, and HighRep Inzko is planning meetings with the relevant parties. The OHR office in Mostar has told us, though, that Inzko has put a hold on any action on the Mostar mayor until after SDA,s May 26 party congress. For its part, SDA is unlikely to take any major political risks before the congress, and by then HDZ-BiH -- trying to maintain popular support for Covic in the wake of his indictment (Ref C) -- may be willing to make even greater concessions than it is now. Erstwhile Nobodies Become Kingmakers -------------- ¶3. (C) With neither SDA nor HDZ-BiH capable of securing the requisite majority to appoint the mayor, NSRzB -- which took second place in the elections in Mostar yet commands no support from other parties, thus rendering it incapable of emplacing its own mayor -- has become the kingmaker. NSRzB has embraced this role and is holding out for desperation on both sides to yield the best deal possible for its own party. To that end, NSRzB is engaging in fruitless negotiations with both parties with extravagant conditions (NSRzB reportedly asked Covic to nominate NSRzB leader Jerko Lijanovic as Croat member of the tri-presidency in the next election in exchange for NSRzB,s support for the HDZ-BiH candidate in Mostar). NSRzB is known for blatant corruption, exemplified in widespread accusations of their having SARAJEVO 00000565 002 OF 003 purchased votes for 100 KM apiece during the elections, to which many attribute their election success. The party also lacks a concrete portfolio and set of policy positions, focusing exclusively on advancing the party,s power and currying favor with those who can help its position. A "power-sharing" arrangement between HDZ-BiH and SDA would effectively sideline NSRzB in that battle, but the parties will nonetheless need to rely on NSRzB down the road to secure the requisite majority for government proposals. Rumors Swirl over HDZ Reunification -------------- ¶4. (C) Amid the vicissitudes of negotiations on the mayoral race in Mostar lie rumors within the Croat community writ large about the reunification of HDZ-BiH and the breakaway HDZ-1990. Following Croatian President Ivo Sanader,s March 31 visit to Mostar and subsequent statement that the merger of the two HDZs is "inevitable," HDZ-1990 VP Martin Raguz -- who reportedly has been promised the position of Covic,s number two if the parties reunite -- became the principal champion of reunification. Raguz, however, is succeeding only to alienate himself from his party comrades, who openly disdain his longtime aspirations to greater power, including the HDZ-1990 presidency. The HDZ-1990 presidency on April 24 unanimously adopted a platform for negotiations with HDZ-BiH on unification, which stipulates that talks will begin if -- inter alia -- the HDZ-BiH presidency also approves a decision to commence negotiations and agrees to allow "equal representation in government" for both parties. Covic, who has publicly stated that there will be no "unification" but that all those who support the Statute and Program of HDZ-BiH are welcome back, implied during a May 4 party presidency session that he is unlikely to accept HDZ-1990,s conditions. Moreover, opponents within HDZ-BiH to unification, many of whom are concerned about losing their positions within the party should the two HDZs merge, also may stymie HDZ-BiH,s willingness to negotiate. Croatian Government Will Remain Involved -------------- ¶5. (C) According to the media, the General Secretary of HDZ Croatia has declared that HDZ Croatia "would not be a passive observer" of the unification process and that unification would be an "absolute necessity" because of the "forthcoming constitutional changes." HDZ-1990 chairman Bozo Ljubic stands no chance of securing a high-level position in a unified HDZ, but he also will not want to alienate Sanader by openly demonstrating disobedience and will probably protract the process as long as possible, hoping Sanader will eventually lose interest. According to the Bosnian Croat media, though, Sanader does not wish either Covic or Ljubic to remain at the heads of their parties. For his part, Raguz claimed to us that Sanader chose him to lead the reunification process, suggesting that Raguz -- with what he believes to be Sanader,s endorsement -- believes himself well-placed to become the number two in a unified HDZ, then accede to the number one slot if Covic is removed from the political scene. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) The outcome of the Mostar mayoral race and the specter of HDZ reunification could well set the course for Croat politics in the near term, particularly in light of possible negotiations on constitutional reform. The Mostar mayoral dispute underscores the fact that both sides of the ethnic divide there focus exclusively on ethnicity at the expense of good governance and reforms that would more directly benefit their voters. Unlike Brcko, which -- thanks in large part to more than a decade of American supervision -- boasts efficient multiethnic institutions, Mostar remains an ethnic flashpoint in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The merger of the HDZ parties -- and the focus within both parties on that process -- could further complicate our efforts to manage and liaise with the Croats during constitutional reform talks. Covic,s indictment also will certainly figure into the Croat position on constitutional reform and other initiatives. His obsession with the indictment and fear of its results -- and, correspondingly, an increasing nationalist sentiment -- have featured prominently in all of our most recent meetings with him and in his statements to the press. This process will SARAJEVO 00000565 003 OF 003 almost certainly bring Covic,s focus even farther from crafting workable solutions to the Croat woes and possibly closer to an unconstructive, nationalist Croat political position. ENGLISH