US embassy cable - 05PARIS6749

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 
STAPLETON