Cablegate: French Support Pre-Dayton Anniversary Agenda But

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS PARIS 006749

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL BK FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH SUPPORT PRE-DAYTON ANNIVERSARY AGENDA BUT
SKEPTICAL BOSNIANS WILL MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS

REF: STATE 180582

(SBU) On September 29, we delivered reftel demarche seeking
PIC Steering Board support for our pre-Dayton anniversary
agenda to Edouard Beslay, the MFA's DAS-equivalent for the
Balkans, and Michel Clercx, Bosnia desk officer. Clercx said
the GOF supported our stressing the importance of progress to
BiH officials in advance of the Dayton anniversary.
Nevertheless, France was skeptical, said Clercx, that
significant progress could be made using the Dayton
anniversary as a lever to effect progress especially in
regard to police reform and the transfer of Karadzic and
Mladic to The Hague. Given the strong possibility that
progress would be uneven, France preferred the planning of a
more low-key Dayton anniversary ceremony, said Clercx. He
added that France was itself considering holding a ceremony
in Paris, although the MFA had not yet made a decision on
this. When asked for any details about this potential
ceremony, Clercx demurred, saying all details were up in the
air pending a decision on whether or not to proceed.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
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