BOSNIA - BIDDING FOR 2010-2011 UNSC SEAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000076 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA - BIDDING FOR 2010-2011 UNSC SEAT Classified By: Ambassador Charles English for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) We received the following diplomatic note from the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about Bosnia's interest in being elected to the UN Security Council, and have added our comment on this request below: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States of America and has the honor to remind that the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has presented its candidature for a non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the term 2010-2011, at the elections to be held during the sixty fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly in October 2009. In that regard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina would like to inform that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only candidate for the non-permanent seat of the Security Council allocated to the Eastern European Group in these elections. The support of the Government of the United States of America for the candidacy of Bosnia and Herzegovina would be highly appreciated. Aide Memoire of aforementioned candidacy is enclosed herewith. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the United States of America the assurances of its highest consideration. Sarajevo, December 2, 2008 (Note: Though the diplomatic note was dated December 2, it was not received at the Embassy until January 9. End Note) ¶2. (U) The text of the supporting Note Verbale is as follows: In today's globalized world, multilateral organizations are becoming even more important for preserving peace, security, prosperity and amity among nations. Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to promote the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Bosnia and Herzegovina is fully committed to playing a responsible and creative role in the UN family of nations during a period of reforms of the UN system, including the Security Council reform, in order to bring it closer to the realities of an ever changing world and to advocate for an effective multilateralism. Bosnia and Herzegovina devotes special attention to the issues of international peace and security, human rights and strengthening of international law and justice, protection of children and advancement of sustainable development, and protection of the environment. Bosnia and Herzegovina has always been fully committed to promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. We are an active member of the newly established Human Rights Council (HRC) and consider the HRC to be one of the key pillars of the UN structure, promoting the right of people to live free from fear, and in dignity, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights and fully develop their human potential. Therefore, Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasizes the importance of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. The preservation of the lasting peace and security requires constant efforts to eradicate poverty, a continued promotion of equitable economic growth, sustainable development and global prosperity for all. Bosnia and Herzegovina has committed itself to doing its part in this process and will play an active role in global efforts to attain the internationally agreed development goals, and is committed to a full realization of the Millennium Development Goals. We recognize that climate change is a major challenge with the potential to affect every part of the globe. Bosnia and Herzegovina is committed to long-term cooperative action and aimed at addressing climate change in the world. Bosnia and Herzegovina is fully devoted to maintaining international peace and security and, as a part of the global community, to providing an urgent collective response to today's threats, which recognize no national boundaries and must be tackled at all levels. We have always been firmly committed to an international order based on the rule of law at both the national and international levels. The preservations of global peace and security requires full adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, which are essential to the peaceful coexistence of states and cooperation between them. Bosnian and Herzegovina sees its candidacy for non-permanent membership of the Security Council as a unique opportunity to contribute further to international peace and security and the peaceful settlement of disputes. As a post-conflict society, Bosnia and Herzegovina has learned important lessons and gained valuable experiences, which we are ready to share with other nations and thus contribute to the prevention of armed conflicts in the world as well as the preservation of amicable relations with other countries. The candidacy for non-permanent membership of the Security Council will be a chance for Bosnia and Herzegovina to consolidate its domestic strengths and demonstrate them to the international community in the promotion of global values and in the preservation of peace, security, prosperity, and friendship among nations. We intend to build on our international commitments while continuing to foster open and transparent dialogue and a spirit of cooperation and consensus-building. Given that Poland has decided to withdraw its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in the 2010 - 2011 term, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains the only candidate from the Eastern European Group in these elections. Poland supports the candidature of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council and invites all the countries which have already given their support to the Polish candidacy to back Bosnia and Herzegovina in becoming a member of the UN Security Council. Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) Bosnia has generally supported our positions at the UN, and their Foreign Ministry officials routinely tell us that they carefully consider U.S. and EU positions before deciding on an issue. Bosnia's quest for a UNSC seat is a goal that its body politic agrees on and that all three Presidency members support. A senior MFA official recently told us the GBiH has high hopes for a successful UNSC bid reviving Bosnia's image. In addition, on the margins of a luncheon on January 14 the Ambassador asked two former Bosnian Foreign Ministers Zlatko Lagumdzia, SDP party President (an ethnic Bosniak),and Mladen Ivanic, PDP Party President (an ethnic Serb),about the UNSC bid. Both men, currently serving as members of Parliament, strongly supported the campaign. They emphasized it would give Bosnia an important boost and would not adversely affect U.S. interests. ¶4. (C) That said, in evaluating Bosnia's UNSC candidacy we should be mindful of the way that Bosnia's ethnic politics complicates its foreign policy decision-making, sometimes resulting in stalemate or attempts to pursue narrow ethnic agendas. Foreign policy is the responsibility of a "presidency" composed of one President from the three constituent ethnic groups. The need to achieve consensus across ethnic groups in the presidency can result in stalemate. This was the reason, for example, that Bosnia neither opposed nor supported recognition of Kosovo. Bosnia has also, at times, been vulnerable to Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) pressure. For example, last month Bosnia was planning to support the OIC resolution on protecting religion, which would have justified interference with religious freedom, and was opposed by all EU countries and the U.S. Only USG intervention at high levels with Minister Alkalaj eventually resulted in Bosnia voting "absent." ¶5. (SBU) Bosnia recently named a new UN ambassador, Ivan Barbalic, an ethnic Croat. Barbalic's appointment was made at the initiative of the Croat member of the Presidency, Zeljko Komsic, who as a member of SDP is the most Bosnia-oriented and least ethnically-focused member of the Presidency. Barbalic is young (33),and is not a professional diplomat. For the last five years Barbalic has served as president of an NGO, the Alumni Center for Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Studies, which produces research on public policy in such fields as European integration and human rights. He has also worked as a researcher for the UN Development program, as a lecturer at the Univerity of Sarajevo, and as a staff member of the Bosnian government's agency for European integration. He earned a Bachelors degree at the University of Bridgeport and has a masters degree in European Studies from the University of Bologna. Barbalic is well and favorably known to Embassy Sarajevo. He is an alumna of the International Visitor (IV) Program and has worked closely with our USAID Mission on civil society projects. AID officers who know him characterize him as energetic, enthusiastic, and innovative. ¶6. (C) Bosnia's UNSC membership could pose some particular challenges for our UN diplomacy, though it offers the prospect of a potential partnership with us. Given the importance this candidacy has across the spectrum of Bosnian politics, we conclude that Bosnia merits our support. ENGLISH