SNSD RATCHETS UP INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000600

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (JONES),EUR/SCE (FOOKS, HYLAND)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL BK
SUBJECT: SNSD RATCHETS UP INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC

Classified By: Polcouns Michael Murphy for Reasons 1.4. (b) and (d)


1. (C) A parliamentary debate on May 13 on constitutional
reform turned ugly when House of Representatives Deputy
Speaker Milorad Zivkovic from the Alliance of Independent
Social Democrats (SNSD) proposed conducting public opinion
surveys on whether citizens of Bosnia want to continue living
together. He also proposed surveying the population on their
preferred models for future Bosnian governing structures.
Zivkovic's suggestion provoked a sharp reaction from Bosniak
delegates who called it a disguised call for a referendum on
secession. According to press reports, Sefik Dzaferovic,
from the Party of Democratic Action (SDA),said that Zivkovic
should not "play with the territorial integrity and
sovereignty of Bosnia," by proposing such a "referendum
disguised as a poll."


2. (C) This led to further sharp exchanges between Serb and
Bosniak parliamentarians in which both sides claimed their
opponents' comments were reminiscent of pre-war rhetoric.
SNSD parliamentarian Milica Markovic compared Djaferovic's
remarks to comments made by Bosniak war-time leader Alija
Izetbegovic in 1992, and Adam Huskic from the Party of Bosnia
and Herzegovina (SBiH) compared Zivokic's comments to calls
by Serbian wartime leader and Hague indictee Radovan Karadzic
for a referendum that was a prelude to the 1992 war. Huskic
reportedly said that tanks and airplanes were unable to
destroy the Bosnian nation then and they would be unable to
do so now.

Dodik Again Slams State Court and Prosecutors
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3. (C) Zivkovic's proposal followed on the heels of recent
comments by SNSD President Milorad Dodik challenging the
legality of the State Court and Prosecutor's Office. In
response to questions about the Prosecutor's Office
investigation into his alleged corruption, Dodik said on May
12 that that the State Court and Prosecutor's office were
"illegitimate and illegal institutions" with which he would
not cooperate. Dodik said the Court and the Prosecutor's
Office lacked legitimacy because they were allegedly created
under the pressure of threats by the High Representative. He
argued further that the investigation into his alleged
corruption is probably "retaliation" for his position
opposing the extension of the mandates of foreign judges and
prosecutors beyond 2009. In a statement on May 8, Dodik made
similar ad hominem attacks on the State court and
Prosecutor's Office, asserting that neither institution
should be respected, claiming they did not need to exist, and
vowing to work towards their destruction.

Comment
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4. (C) Zivkovic, who eventually withdrew his proposal,
clearly must have known that his call for an opinion survey
would be inflammatory. His comments seemed aimed at throwing
a harsh dose of cold water on efforts by the SDA to initiate
discussions on constitutional reforms that could create a
stronger and more functional state. Combined with Dodik's
remarks on the State Court and State Prosecutors, Zivkovic's
comments represent a further ratcheting up of SNSD's
obstructionist rhetoric.
ENGLISH