BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA'S FOREIGN MINISTER WANTS

UNCLAS USNATO 000390 SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: NATO PGOV PREL MOPS MCAT BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA'S FOREIGN MINISTER WANTS MAP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER; POSSIBLE AFGHAN CONTRIBUTION ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) Foreign Minister, Sven Alkalaj, said in a courtesy call with Ambassador Daalder on September 11 BiH intends to submit its application to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP) in the coming weeks, immediately after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings in New York. Ambassador Daalder cautioned BiH to submit its application when it had a strong chance of success. He pressed BiH to generate further positive reforms, while also taking greater steps to demonstrate to all Allies that Bosnia has moved firmly into the category of an international security provider. In an effort to demonstrate that BiH can be a reliable provider of security, Alkalaj hinted that BiH might consider making a contribution of up to 100 troops for operations in Afghanistan. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- BiH's foreign policy goals - and where MAP fits in -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Foreign Minister Alkalaj stated that BiH had three main foreign policy goals for this year: (1) to be elected to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC); (2) to achieve visa liberalization with the EU; and (3) to be granted entrance into NATO's Membership Action Plan. Alkalaj said that BiH's election to a non-permanent seat on the UNSC woud exemplify validation from the international community on the progress it has made during the last few years. On EU visa liberalization, he admitted that BiH's denial had been hard to swallow, but that BiH had "gotten the message" and hoped to demonstrate compliance with ninety-five percent of the roadmap's conditions by the end of September. On MAP, Alkalaj said that it is in the interest of the Allies to have BiH "in its arms," and spoke of his intent to officially apply for MAP at the conclusion of the UNGA meetings in New York. Alkalaj intimated that BiH's decision to apply for MAP this fall was partially influenced by introduction of U.S. Senate Bill S.1559, which calls for support for the people and government of BiH in reaching its eventual goal of NATO membership. Foreign Minister Alkalaj explained that he interpreted the Senate Bill as a signal of U.S. support, leading BiH to the conclusion that now is the time to apply for MAP. He also pushed for BiH to submit its MAP application soon because he wants its application to proceed in parallel with Montenegro's application (NOTE: Montenegro officially applied to join MAP in November 2008). Ambassador Daalder said that it would be nice to see the two countries' application proceed in parallel, but cautioned that NATO Allies believe Montenegro is reforming more quickly. -------------- Making the case for MAP -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Alkalaj told Ambassador Daalder that BiH public approval to join NATO remains at about sixty percent. While readily admitting that BiH continues to face problems and that the pace of reform could probably be quicker, Alkalaj steadfastly declared that his country was beginning to show progress and must continue to move forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. He stated that he hoped that BiH's application for MAP might serve as a stabilizing influence in the western Balkans region, and might even eventually persuade Serbia to seek closer ties to NATO. ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Daalder said that U.S. policy for many years had been to further integrate BiH into Euro-Atlantic structures. At the same time, he warned that getting the necessary Allied consensus to move BiH further along the membership path could likely require further reforms by, and political stability in, Sarajevo. Ambassador Daalder stated that the inability to resolve the issue of defense property was troubling and progress on constitutional reform might be necessary. He cautioned Foreign Minister Alkalaj to apply for MAP only when it was clear that BiH would succeed in its goal, adding that the time might not yet be right. Alkalaj admitted that he was hoping for a more positive response from the U.S. and argued that granting MAP for BiH would provide stability for BiH's ethnic populations, much like EU stability has done for Belgium. -------------- Future contribution for Afghanistan? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Ambassador Daalder told Alkalaj that BiH needs to conclusively demonstrate that BiH has made the transition to being a contributor to, and not just a consumer of, security. Alkalaj responded that the Minister of Defense, having just returned from a trip to Afghanistan, was preparing a report that could recommend a contribution of up to 100 soldiers to operations in Afghanistan. HEFFERN