Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SARAJEVO88
2009-01-22 17:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Sarajevo
Cable title:
BOSNIA - HIGHREP LAJCAK TO BE NAMED SLOVAK FOREIGN
how-toVZCZCXRO2776 OO RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHVJ #0088 0221700 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 221700Z JAN 09 FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO TO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9568 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000088
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (JONES) AND EUR/SCE (HYLAND, FOOKS,
STINCHCOMB)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL BA SK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - HIGHREP LAJCAK TO BE NAMED SLOVAK FOREIGN
MINISTER
Classified By: Ambassador Charles English for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000088
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (JONES) AND EUR/SCE (HYLAND, FOOKS,
STINCHCOMB)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL BA SK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - HIGHREP LAJCAK TO BE NAMED SLOVAK FOREIGN
MINISTER
Classified By: Ambassador Charles English for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) In a meeting with the Ambassador today, High Rep
Miroslav Lajcak said that he had been offered and accepted
the position of Slovak Foreign Minister. He plans to inform
the PIC tomorrow, and immediately afterwards will tell the
Presidency, which will be asked to inform other Bosnian
government institutions. Lajcak said that, in accordance
with the wishes of Slovak Prime Minister Fico, he will be
sworn in as Foreign Minister on Monday January 28, after
which he plans to return to Sarajevo for two to three weeks
while the issue of his successor is worked out.
2. (C) Lajcak said that he asked PM Fico to call EU Foreign
Policy HighRep Solana and inform him of Lajcak's appointment
as Foreign Minister. According to Lajcak, Solana pointedly
told Fico that Lajcak had met with him in Brussels just
yesterday and had not mentioned anything about the job offer.
Fico told Solana that Lajcak did not know he would be
nominated. Lajcak also mentioned that one plausible
candidate to succeed him as High Rep is Stefano Sannino,
diplomatic advisor of the EU Commission. The Ambassador
noted that if Sannino were the next HighRep, Italians would
hold all three top international positions in Bosnia, as they
already head the EUFOR and NATO missions.
Comment
--------------
3. (C) We expect this news to hit the Bosnian electronic
media tomorrow at midday and to be in the print media on
Saturday. Post is studying the various complications raised
by this turn of events. One critical issue is the
implication this will have for preserving the Bonn Powers.
Another is whether Lajcak can continue to serve as HighRep
while simultaneously serving as Slovak Foreign Minister. Yet
another is the issue of succession. The Russians will likely
oppose any successor and will look to Lajcak's departure as a
trigger to close OHR. However, prospects for Bosnia meeting
the "5 plus 2" objectives and conditions for closing OHR in
time for the March PIC are low. If the entire PIC cannot
reach consensus, this raises the question of whether the rest
of the PIC could name a successor based on consensus of all
members except Russia. The French and German positions will
be key to what steps the PIC could take. Post is forwarding
to DAS Jones and the desk a PDF document we received from OHR
which discusses the mechanisms for appointing the High Rep.
ENGLISH
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR (JONES) AND EUR/SCE (HYLAND, FOOKS,
STINCHCOMB)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL BA SK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - HIGHREP LAJCAK TO BE NAMED SLOVAK FOREIGN
MINISTER
Classified By: Ambassador Charles English for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) In a meeting with the Ambassador today, High Rep
Miroslav Lajcak said that he had been offered and accepted
the position of Slovak Foreign Minister. He plans to inform
the PIC tomorrow, and immediately afterwards will tell the
Presidency, which will be asked to inform other Bosnian
government institutions. Lajcak said that, in accordance
with the wishes of Slovak Prime Minister Fico, he will be
sworn in as Foreign Minister on Monday January 28, after
which he plans to return to Sarajevo for two to three weeks
while the issue of his successor is worked out.
2. (C) Lajcak said that he asked PM Fico to call EU Foreign
Policy HighRep Solana and inform him of Lajcak's appointment
as Foreign Minister. According to Lajcak, Solana pointedly
told Fico that Lajcak had met with him in Brussels just
yesterday and had not mentioned anything about the job offer.
Fico told Solana that Lajcak did not know he would be
nominated. Lajcak also mentioned that one plausible
candidate to succeed him as High Rep is Stefano Sannino,
diplomatic advisor of the EU Commission. The Ambassador
noted that if Sannino were the next HighRep, Italians would
hold all three top international positions in Bosnia, as they
already head the EUFOR and NATO missions.
Comment
--------------
3. (C) We expect this news to hit the Bosnian electronic
media tomorrow at midday and to be in the print media on
Saturday. Post is studying the various complications raised
by this turn of events. One critical issue is the
implication this will have for preserving the Bonn Powers.
Another is whether Lajcak can continue to serve as HighRep
while simultaneously serving as Slovak Foreign Minister. Yet
another is the issue of succession. The Russians will likely
oppose any successor and will look to Lajcak's departure as a
trigger to close OHR. However, prospects for Bosnia meeting
the "5 plus 2" objectives and conditions for closing OHR in
time for the March PIC are low. If the entire PIC cannot
reach consensus, this raises the question of whether the rest
of the PIC could name a successor based on consensus of all
members except Russia. The French and German positions will
be key to what steps the PIC could take. Post is forwarding
to DAS Jones and the desk a PDF document we received from OHR
which discusses the mechanisms for appointing the High Rep.
ENGLISH