Bosnia: Sarajevo FPU Investigates Bosnia's Military Records

UNCLAS SARAJEVO 000975 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/EX, CA/FPP, CA/VO, AND EUR/SCE (MIKE FOOKS); DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC; POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS; VIENNA FOR DHS MARLA BELVEDERE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD CVIS CMGT CPAS ASEC BK SUBJECT: Bosnia: Sarajevo FPU Investigates Bosnia's Military Records for US Immigrants ¶1. Summary. The Sarajevo Consular Section initiated full IV services in December 2007. Our Fraud Prevention Unit(FPU) wanted to learn more about documents important for immigration to the United States: military records, court records and police records. This is the first in a series of three cables discussing these documents. From the four different municipalities in both Bosnian entities that we contacted about military records we received somewhat different responses about the requisite procedures for obtaining these records. We also identified that we will have to change our requests to ensure that individuals produce both war and peacetime military records. End Summary. ¶2. In Republic Srpska, the municipal administration manages issuance of military records. The Derventa office stated that they are ready to issue the document to close family members of prospective immigrants but they emphasized that they would ask for a power of attorney in suspect cases. Our contact from the Prijedor municipality explained that the U.S. Embassy should recognize that there are two types of military records: the first is the "Uvjerenje o sluzenju vojske" which is for regular peacetime army service; the second,the "Uvjerenje o ucescu u ratu" provides information about the individual's participation in the war. ¶3. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we visited Donji Vakuf. Although situated in the municipal building, the office of military records is part of the Federal Ministry of Veterans and War Invalids. Were were informed that they insist on a personal application for military records in person. In the small town of Ilijas (in the Sarajevo Canton) the officials from the Department of Military Records told FPU that although they prefer people applying in person for their military records, they would consider issuing the document to those bearing a power of attorney. ¶4. While the entities of Republika Srpska and the Federation maintain military records through different departments, they both are managed at the municipal territorial level. All offices prefer direct application by the interested party. Also, in both entities some military records were relocated during the 1992-1995 war. They were removed from the municipalities of origin to new locations, especially if political control of municipalities was changed: for example, some municipalities on the outskirts of Sarajevo that were under Republika Srpska control during the war, now are part of the Bosnian Federation. ¶5. There were four BIH armies (BIH Army, HVO, RS Army and Velika Kladusa Army) during the 1992- 1995 war, and service in different armies brought significant pensions and other benefits to veterans. The consular section will watch out for two things: first, those who falsely claim participation in the war to receive financial benefits; and second, but perhaps most important for our purposes, are applications by possible indictable war criminals and foreign Islamic fighters that while theoretically authorized to receive Bosnian military records and benefits, may also present immigration ineligibilities. ¶6. Military service remains a relevant factor in our examination of immigrant visa applicants. We will continue to monitor their production and those individuals who use them in support of their IV applications, and will now begin requesting military records entities for both peacetime and wartime service. ENGLISH