Cablegate: Codel Pomeroy Meetings in Bosnia, February 14-16

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DE RUEHVJ #0184/01 0560827
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250827Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1460
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SARAJEVO 000184

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

EUR/SCE FOR FOOKS, JUKIC, HYLAND
H PASS HOUSE DEMOCRACY PARTNERSHIP (LIS)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL OVIP BK
SUBJECT: CODEL POMEROY MEETINGS IN BOSNIA, FEBRUARY 14-16

1. (SBU) Summary: Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), in
Bosnia February 14-16, met with parliamentarians, civil
society representatives, students, Prime Minister Nikola
Spiric, and the Bosnian tri-presidency. Pomeroy outlined the
functions of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), urging
Bosnian leaders to undertake reforms necessary for the
development of their country. He highlighted the need for
Bosnian leaders to act now on critical issues without
awaiting the outcome of October 2010 general elections.
Priorities should include: EU visa liberalization, compliance
with the recent ECHR ruling in the Sejdic/Finci case, excess
weapons destruction, sending a contingent to participate with
NATO in Afghanistan, and joining the United States and EU in
confronting Iranian non-compliance with the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty in the UNSC. End Summary.

Meeting with State Parliament Speakers
--------------------------------------

2. (SBU) In his meetings with the speakers of Bosnia's
state-level parliament, Rep. Pomeroy commended them for past
efforts on defense reform and to fulfill many visa
liberalization requirements, but noted the need for continued
effort on constitutional reform to improve the functionality
of the state. He stressed that any reform of the
constitution would have to balance honoring individual rights
while allowing the governing majority to carry out
initiatives. Pomeroy said that minority rights cannot mean
minority veto, but rather respect for the concerns of the
minority. After acknowledging the difficult work ahead for
Bosnian political leaders, Pomeroy described the House
Democracy Partnership's work, noting that it is aimed at
building relationships and information exchanges with
parliaments. He said that to date the Commission has 14
partnerships world-wide, including two in the region
(Macedonia and Kosovo). Pomeroy explained how the HDP
assists parliaments with building the capacity of
parliamentary staff, strengthening parliamentary oversight
functions, and improving constituent services, but that BiH
was not yet ready for this partnership.

3. (SBU) House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Milorad
Zivkovic nmf~|!(for Human
Rights by May, but that it was tough to undertake broader
reform before the October general elections. Deputy HoR
Speaker Beriz Belkic from the largely Bosniak Party for
Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH) spoke of politicians being
hostages to nationalist politics and welcomed continued U.S.
engagement in reform talks, while Deputy Speaker Niko
Lozancic from the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ-BiH) spoke of
the Bosnian political leaders' need for encouragement. House
of Peoples Speaker Ilija Filipovic, also HDZ-BiH, focused on
the plight of Bosnian Croats, saying that they do not "feel
comfortable" in one entity, or share an equal constitutional
position. Filipovic maintained that as long as entity voting
was possible, Bosnian political leaders would not be able to
achieve greater progress on needed reforms. He pointed out
that the use of entity voting had blocked the passage of more
than 100 laws to date.

Meeting with PM Spiric
----------------------

4. (SBU) Rep. Pomeroy told Spiric that he had hoped to see
more progress on constitutional reform, but noted Bosnia's
achievements to date on EU visa liberalization. Pomeroy said
the United States looks forward to helping Bosnia move along
the path to EU and NATO membership, and suggested that one
immediate concrete step BiH could make would be to destroy
dangerous excess weapons and ammunition. Pomeroy reminded
Spiric that the U.S. Congress could provide funding to assist
with verifiable destruction processes, and that Bosnia's
progress on this front would move the country closer to
getting a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP).

5. (SBU) Spiric thanked Pomeroy for his visit and for all the
pivotal assistance that the USG has provided to Bosnia in the
past. Spiric listed the four focal points he said he had
chosen to concentrate on as Prime Minister: 1) meeting
requirements for EU visa liberalization; 2) achieving MAP
status; 3) implementing the European Court of Human Rights
decision on discriminatory provisions in the BiH
Constitution; and 4) mitigating the effects of the global
economic crisis. Spiric asserted that achieving visa-free
travel and MAP status would be of great benefit to Bosnian
citizens and give BiH a surge of optimism required for them
to make other needed reforms, including a restoration of
trust, which Spiric termed the "mother of all reforms."
Spiric continued that any prolonged stall on the road to
Euro-Atlantic integration would only strengthen
non-democratic forces in Bosnia. In terms of making progress
on constitutional reform, Spiric lamented that many in BiH
continue to look to the past and question the provisions of
the Dayton Peace Accords, rather then work toward a better
future. Spiric said that the Council of Ministers had
recently tasked the Ministers of Justice and Human Rights and
Refugees with creating an action plan to implement the ECHR
decision. He stated his belief that this could be done as
long as other political factors do not try to widen the
discussion to include more "radical" constitutional changes.

Meeting with Presidency
-----------------------

6. (SBU) In his meeting with Bosnia's Tri-Presidency members
(ethnic Croat Zeljko Komsic, Bosniak Haris Silajdzic, and
Serb Nebojsa Radmanovic), Rep. Pomeroy outlined the
activities of the House Democracy Partnership, but stressed
that Bosnia would need to undertake significant reforms
before the HDP would be in a position to begin such a
relationship here. Specifically, Rep. Pomeroy noted progress
made thus far on visa liberalization, and suggested that
Bosnia could do much prior to the October 2010 elections,
such as agreeing on excess weapons disposal, sending a
planned contingent to Afghanistan, and reaching agreement,
along with EU members of the UN Security Council and the
United States, on a means of dealing with Iranian nuclear
issues.

7. (SBU) All Presidency members said they had reached
agreement on sending a contingent to Afghanistan, but were
working through the modalities. Rep. Pomeroy commended this
joint decision, but warned that logistical details ought not
be an excuse for inaction. On weapons disposal, Komsic
expressed willingness to move forward with destruction of
"anything dangerous" immediately, a sentiment that Silajdzic
echoed, saying he supported destruction as the best of three
options being debated (to sell, donate, or destroy), and
hoped for eventual resolution. Silajdzic supported calls for
immediate reform, saying he believed constitutional changes,
even beyond those necessary to comply with the recent ECHR
ruling, were possible prior to elections. Radmanovic
dissented from this, saying he believed there was
considerable disagreement on constitutional reform, and
instead called for immediate closure of OHR, which he
characterized as "an obstacle on our path to the EU." All
Presidency members expressed thanks for Rep. Pomeroy's
personal, and long-standing, interest in Bosnia's well-being,
and noted positively the USG role over the years in helping
build stability in Bosnia.

Meeting with HighRep Inzko
--------------------------

8. (SBU) Rep. Pomeroy discussed the current political
situation in BiH and the role of the Office of the High
Representative (OHR) with High Representative Inzko. Inzko
explained that, although little prog2CG^Q\$Q5;AQQQ}9Mpc0;#16\|QQ;DJQ`aVQQ
rogress could be noted over the last 15 years. Responding
to Pomeroy's question about international support for (and
the future of) OHR, Inzko mentioned possible EU plans to
reduce their contributions to OHR by 25 percent. As to the
future, Inzko said he felt that even after BiH politicians
meet the "five-plus-two" conditions for OHR closure, there
will always be a need to have a mechanism to help interpret
the Dayton Peace Accords. When asked about his three top
priorities, Inzko said constitutional reform, education
issues such as stopping school segregation, and improving the
economy and business climate (including BiH making better use
of its natural renewable energy resources).

Lunch with Civil Society Reps
-----------------------------

9. (SBU) Pomeroy met with journalists, academics, and NGO
representatives as well, outlining House Democracy
Partnership programs in Macedonia and Kosovo, and stressing
the value of peer-to-peer consultations with foreign
parliamentarians. Queried by Pomeroy about their views on
the current political impasse, civil society interlocutors
bemoaned the deteriorating situation in Bosnia,
characterizing local politicians as "entrenched" in the
status quo. Commenting on the schools, media, and
government, they claimed that "there is a comprehensive
program to ethnically divide" the country and to "prove that
we cannot live together."

10. (SBU) Interlocutors said that Bosnian media is not able
to independently report on events in the country, with each
outlet tending to represent only one ethnic or political
perspective. They also highlighted the problem of schools
that are increasingly focused on a single nationality or
religion, noting that the currently-graduating high-school
students are the first generation to have never lived in an
ethnically-diverse society. Participants said they believe
that NATO accession is more important to BiH than EU, because
security is the highest priority and NATO is the only
institution that can provide any guarantees. When asked who
they needed to be secure from, they responded "ourselves."
Interlocutors also complained about the lethargy within civil
society organizations, saying that "civil society is quiet"
and does not effectively partner with the government. NGOs
are focused on their own survival, or on simply criticizing
the government rather than trying to work within the system
to improve the situation, they said.

11. (SBU) Participants commented that Bosnian politicians
have been "negotiating things that are non-negotiable," such
as human rights, without addressing more contentious issues,
and for which a negotiated solution could exist. When asked
by Rep. Pomeroy why they vote for these politicians, the
participants responded that there are no alternatives, and
that there has yet to be a truly "free and democratic
elections" as all elections occur in an "atmosphere of fear."

Breakfast with Students
-----------------------

12. (SBU) On February 15, Rep. Pomeroy had a private
breakfast with university students from American University
Bosnia-Herzegovina and the University of Sarajevo in which
students discussed their personal and professional
aspirations. He then explained the structure and functioning
of the U.S. Congress, and shared with them some experiences
from his 18-year tenure.

Comment
-------

13. (SBU) CODEL Pomeroy provided helpful and timely
reinforcement on a number of key issues where Bosnia can and
should take steps now to move forward on a path of
Euro-Atlantic integration: constitutional reform, excess
weapons destruction, UNSC voting on Iran, and participation
in ISAF. Rep. Pomeroy's clear expression of
legislative-executive unity in pushing for these steps, in
pursuit of Bosnia's own stability, played an important part
of our ongoing bipartisan and USG-wide effort to encourage
Bosnian leaders to take responsibility for their country's
well-being. End Comment.

14. (U) CODEL Pomeroy cleared on this cable.

ENGLISH

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