Cablegate: Invitation for the Secretary to Attend Closing

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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVJ #1065/01 2470952
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 040952Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0737

UNCLAS SARAJEVO 001065

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE (HIGHLAND,FOOKS).

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL BA
SUBJECT: INVITATION FOR THE SECRETARY TO ATTEND CLOSING
CEREMONY OF THE BRCKO SUPERVISOR'S OFFICE

1. (U) The Embassy received a diplomatic note (paragraph 2)
with a copy of an official letter (paragraph 3) from
Presidency Chairman Komsic, inviting the Secretary to attend
the official closing ceremony in mid-November for the office
of the Supervisor of Brcko District.

2. (U) Begin Text of Diplomatic Note:

The Office of the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and
herzegovina presents its compliments to the Embassy of the
United States in Sarajevo and has the honour to forward the
copy of the invitation letter from the Chairman of the
Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina H.E. Mr. Zeljko Komsic,
sent to the US State Secretary, Hon. Hillary R. Clinton for
the occasion of closing ceremony of the Office of the
Supervisor of Brcko District.

The invitation was sent through the diplomatic channels and
we have the honour to send you the copy of the invitation.

The Office of the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and
Herzegovina avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the
Embassy of the United States of America in Sarajevo the
assurances of its highest consideration.

Sarajevo, August 24th 2009. End text.

3. (3) Begin Text of Invitation Letter:

Dear Secretary Clinton,

The United States of America has played a vital role in
bringing peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), helping it to
recover from the war, and making it possible for it to pursue
its manifest destiny as members of both NATO and the European
Union.

Nowhere in BiH has the US peacekeeping effort been more
present, visible or successful than in Brcko District, the
strategically important area in northeastern BiH.

In the November 1995 negotiations to end the war in BiH, the
parties could not agree how to resolve the Entities'
competing claims regarding the boundary line between
Republika Srpska and the federation in the Brcko area. The
disagreement was serious, but rather than return to war, the
Entities agreed to subject their dispute to a building
arbitration.

In March, 1999, the Arbitral Tribunal for the dispute over
the Brcko area issued its Final Award, which directed the
establishment of a single, unitary, multiethnic unit of local
self-governance directly under the sovereignty of BiH.
Although the Final Award made the territory of Brcko a
condominium of both entities, both were deemed to have
permanently delegated all their powers of governance to the
new local iQitutions of Brcko District.
Thanks primarily to US leadership, capability, and resources,
the people of Brcko have succeeded in establishing a truly
multiethnic Distric that serves as an example for police,
schools, and public administration.
The American role in Brcko has been a key to its success.
The District was formally inaugurated in March 2000 by then
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. All Brchko
Supervisors have been Americans, while American jurist Amb.
Roberts Owen has continued as the President of the Arbitral
Tribunal. Americans made up the vast majority of the
peacekeeping troops, police, and government specialist who
helped bring peace, insured freedom of movement, and
established the District,s many institutions. Brcko became
a sister city of St. Louis, Missouri in May 2008.
We expect Supervision to come to a formal end in mid-November
of this year given the successful implementation of the Final
Award. Brcko District and the Supervisor,s Brcko Final
Award Office intended to mark the occasion with a suitably
festive but nonetheless solemn ceremony. Given your personal
interest in BiH, as well as your predecessor,s role in
inaugurating the District, we think it would be most fitting
if you could be present to help mark the closing of this very
successful chapter of US peacekeeping efforts. As such, it
is our great pleasure and distinct privilege to invite you to
participate in the closing ceremony. While we expect
Supervision to formally end on 19 November, the day of the
closing ceremony can be suitably adjusted to accommodate any
commitments you may already have.

Respectfully,
Zeljko Komsik
Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dr. Raffi Gregorian
Supervisor of Brcko District

Dr. Dragan Pajic
Mayor of Brcko District

Mr. Mirsad Djapo
President of the Brcko District Assembly

End Text
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