Cablegate: Muted Zagreb Reaction to Bih Elections

VZCZCXRO8211
PP RUEHAST
DE RUEHVB #1199 2761345
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031345Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6734
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001199

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL HR BK
SUBJECT: MUTED ZAGREB REACTION TO BIH ELECTIONS

Sensitive but unclassified - please handle accordingly

1.(U) Both PM Sanader and President Mesic attributed
Bosnian elections results (wherein an ethnic Croat from
the Social Democratic Party of BiH was elected as the
Croat representative in the BiH presidency) to a lack
of unity among Bosnian Croats with similar "I told you
so" statements. Speaking from a Council of Europe
event in Strasbourg, Sanader told the press, " The most
important thing is that the elections passed off fine.
As far as the election results are concerned, you know
that we did not wish to, nor do we want to, meddle in B-
H's internal affairs. However, we did tell the Croats
[in B-H] they would need to achieve unity for a multi-
party coalition. I have always advocated - and this
will remain my position - that in order to protect
their status as a constituent nation with equal rights
[in B-H], Croats need to get together and unify
themselves so that they can join forces and protect
their status as a constituent people in B-H who can
enjoy equal rights." Mesic spoke even more bluntly,
saying, "Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina have become
disunited, but they have not been disunited by someone
else, they have done it themselves."

2. (SBU) COMMENT: The moderate disappointment expressed
by Zagreb, mirrored by straightforward press reporting,
reflects how Croatia's focus has shifted toward the
west in the decade since hostilities ended. Although
Croatians are obviously still connected through
politics, business and family ties to their ethnic kin
in BiH, they are increasingly willing to leave the
Bosnia Croats to fend for themselves in Bosnian
elections while Croatia concentrates on Euro-Atlantic
integration. END COMMENT
BRADTKE

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