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PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHVB #0358 1291315
ZNR UUUUU ZZH(CCY AD8E2761 WSC7598-695)
P 081315Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8302
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS ZAGREB 000358
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TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - MAY 6, 2008
1. (SBU) CROATIA COMPLETES ACCESSION TALKS WITH NATO:
Croatia completed its accession talks with NATO on May 7.
This second and final round of membership negotiations
focused on the security, legal and financial requirements of
the alliance. As Assistant Foreign Minister Pjer Simunovic,
who was a member of the GoC delegation, told POLOFF on May 6,
the "negotiations" consist only of "NATO telling us what we
need to do." Croatia will now prepare a letter of intent
with its time frame for implementing the required reforms.
State Secretary Bianca Matkovic, who led the Croatian
delegation, said Croatia would finalize this time frame by
the end of June. Croatia still expects to sign its Accession
Protocol on July 9, and hopes that all ratification
procedures can be completed in time for it to attend the 2009
NATO summit in spring of 2009 as a full member. (ZTomic)
2. (U) CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN MEDICAL TRAINING
EXCERCISE HOSTED BY CROATIA:
Approximately 400 multi-national exercise participants and
support personnel from 15 nations are taking part in a
medical-response training at the Divulje Training Base
outside Split, Croatia from May 2 through May 15. The 2-week
"MEDCEUR 08" exercise is a U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
regional/multilateral excercise sponsored by U.S. European
Command and hosted by Croatia, with approximatley one-half of
the participants coming from the U.S. Armed Forces, and the
other half from fourteen Central and Eastern European
countries. The exercise focuses on mass-casualty training
scenarios and humanitarian aid in response to crises
situations. Trainers from various nations will share their
expertise during one week of classroom training followed by
three days of field application in a simulated
natural-disaster scenario. The MEDCEUR training brings
nations together in an effort to save more lives by improving
the interoperability of multi-national disaster response,
humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. (PMcCabe)
3. (U) CROATIAN GOVERNMENT DONATES $320,000 TO BURMESE
CYCLONE VICTIMS:
The Government of Croatia decided on may 6 to provide 1.5
million kuna (approx. $320,000) in humanitarian aid for the
victims of the devastating cyclone in Burma. According to
government spokesman Zlatko Mehun, the aid will be sent via
the Croatian Red Cross. (ZTomic)
Bradtke