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PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVB #0739/01 2971315
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231315Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8713
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ZAGREB 000739
SIPDIS
FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA
OSD FOR POPOVICH
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON PHUM KPAO HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - OCTOBER 23, 2008
1. (U) FIFTH, SIXTH (AND SEVENTH?) NATO ALLIES APPROVE
ACCESSION PROTOCOL:
The parliaments in Poland and Romania approved NATO Accession
Protocols for Croatia and Albania on
October 21. The votes made them the fifth and sixth NATO
member states to approve the Protocols.
Croatian Parliament President Luka Bebic is in Sofia on
October 23, where the Bulgarian Parliament
is expected to give its assent to the Protocols today.
(PD'Amico)
2. (U) CROATIA HOSTS GLOBAL EXPORT CONTROL AND BORDER
SECURITY CONFERENCE:
Croatia hosted the "9th International Export Control
Conference" in Cavtat 20 - 22 October 2008. The
conference was co-sponsored by the U.S. Export Control and
Related Border Security Program. GoC and U.S.
representatives welcomed over 200 participants and speakers
drawn from 65 countries to the event addressing
the latest trends and challenges facing export control and
border security practitioners. Cable to follow.
(CRhoton)
3. (U) TWO CROATIAN COLONELS INDICTED FOR WAR CRIMES:
The District Attorney in Bjelovar filed indictments this week
against Colonel Ivan Husnjak and
retired Colonel Goran Sokol for crimes against civilians.
The two, among the highest ranking
officers from the Croatian forces to be charged for any
crimes during the "Homeland War", are charged
with command responsibility for failing to prevent their
subordinates from perpetrating crimes
during the fighting. Following the liberation of the
Orahovica area in Slavonia in December 1991,
Colonel Ivan Husnjak issued an order on January 31, 1992 for
the "clearing" of terrain in the
villages of Pusine and Slatinski Drenovac, after which
several Serb homes were set on fire. (CZimmer)
4. (U) GOVERNMENT HOLDS CONFERENCE AND INFORMATION FAIR ON
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS:
On Friday, October 17, the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) and the Croatian Ministry for
Foreign Affairs and European Integration organized a one day
conference entitled "The Role of Diplomatic
Personnel in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings." The
results of a joint capacity building project
between IOM and the ministry were presented at the
conference. The project trained 17 diplomatic and
consular staff who further trained 60 colleagues on issues
related to trafficking in persons. Additionally,
the project produced information brochures in 5 different
languages designed to help assist foreigners,
visa seekers, Croatian travelers and potential TIP victims.
The project also produced a handbook and
curriculum for Croatia's Diplomatic Academy for further
education on TIP issues. In addition to
representatives from the diplomatic community, high level
officials from the Croatian government, including
the Minister of Justice and the State Secretary in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were in attendance
and stressed that a strong political will exists in Croatia
to fight TIP. Friday's conference was followed
by an outdoor information fair held in the heart of Zagreb on
Saturday, October 18 to mark EU Anti-Trafficking
Day. Organized by the Government's Human Rights Office and
related NGOs, the event aimed to raise public
awareness about the threat of TIP. Croatia's Deputy Prime
Minister and head of the national committee on the
prevention of trafficking in humans, Jadranka Kosor, was
present and spoke of the problems Croatia faces
regarding TIP. In addition to information booths and
informative leaflets there were also music and dance
performances. (VDjukic/JNCallahan)
5. (U) SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HOLOCAUST ISSUES VISITS CROATIA:
Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Christian Kennedy,
visited Zagreb from October 17-20 and met with
representatives from the local Jewish communities, State
Secretary Drazen Bosnjakovic at the Ministry of
Justice, and the Minister of Culture, Bozo Biskupic.
Ambassador Kennedy reminded the government of its
obligation to resolve outstanding restitution claims for
Jewish property and assets from World War II and
the communist era. He also stressed the importance of
maintaining Jewish gravesites and advocated the
quick construction of a Jewish synagogue in Zagreb. Cable to
follow. (JNCallahan)
ZAGREB 00000739 002 OF 003
6. (U) GOC PRESENTS SEVENTH AND FINAL NATO MEMBERSHIP ACTION
PLAN (MAP) PROGRAM:
On October 16, officials from the MFA and MOD presented
Croatia's Annual National Program for implementing
its MAP for 2008/2009 to NATO's Senior Political Committee.
MFA officials told post their presentation of
Croatia's seventh and final MAP cycle went well. In a press
statement, the MFA noted that NATO Allies had
welcomed Croatia's level of readiness to participate in
Alliance activities, and had confirmed that Croatia
contributes to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic
region. (PD'Amico)
7. (U) EUR/SCE DESK OFFICER VISITS ZAGREB:
New Croatia desk officer Cathy Westley visited Croatia from
October 13-18 for an orientation visit. The visit
included a trip to the Slavonian cities of Osijek and Vukovar
to discuss progress in that region on post-war
reconstruction and ethnic reconciliation, and a set of
meetings in Zagreb covering the range of issues on our
bilateral agenda. Top priorities expressed by the Croatian
officials were completing the NATO accession process,
strengthening economic ties, and moving toward qualification
for the Visa Waiver Program.
(RHoltzapple)
8. (U) U.S. OLYMPIC TAEKWONDO STARS CONDUCT CLINICS AND MEET
WITH STUDENTS:
Steven Lopez, a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic gold
medalist and his brother, Jean Lopez, the U.S.
National and Olympic Taekwondo coach, visited Zagreb, October
9-14, 2008. During their visit, the Lopez
brothers conducted training for over 120 taekwondo students
from Croatia and neighboring countries,
including the Croatian national team. Having earned two of
Croatia's Olympic medals in Beijing, the Croatian
team has recently received considerable public attention. In
addition to conducting clinics, the Lopez brothers
met with high-school students in Zagreb and the city of
Krapina. Both Jean and Stephen Lopez inspired their
audiences, emphasizing that hard work, commitment,
responsibility and respect were the keys to their success and
encouraging students to pursue their dreams. The Lopez
brothers also talked about the sacrifices they made
to achieve the American dream and about their siblings, Mark
and Diana, who won silver and bronze medals
respectively in Taekwondo at the 2008 Olympic games in
Beijing. The Lopez brothers held a press conference
at the Drazen Petrovic Museum which generated both television
and print coverage of the visit. (KWetzel)
9. (U) CROATIAN PARLIAMENT BANS SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES:
On October 17, the Croatian parliament passed a law banning
smoking in most public places, including offices,
bars, restaurants, coffee shops, schools and health care
facilities. Schools and health care facilities must
implement the ban later this month, after the law is
published in the National Gazette, while the law gives
other institutions a six-month grace period. Only psychiatric
clinics are exempt from the ban. The law also
requires cigarette packets to display a warning about the
harmful effects of smoking and bans the direct and
indirect promotion of tobacco products. According to surveys,
about 30 percent of Croatians are smokers. The
Ministry of Health reports that about 10,000 Croatians die
annually from smoking, and another 3000-4000 because
of second-hand smoke. (SLitke)
10. (U) DHS REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT CTPAT PROGRAM TO
CROATIAN EXPORTERS:
The embassy and Croatian Chamber of Economy hosted two U.S.
Customs and Border Protection supply chain
security specialists for a presentation on the Customs Trade
Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program, on
Oct. 20. Approximately two dozen Croatian exporters and
government representatives attended the program, which
also included a short presentation introducing DHS and its
dual mission of protecting borders and facilitating
trade. Private sector companies in attendance included: a
steel manufacturer, a bottled water exporter, a
producer of boating equipment, an international freight
forwarder, and a producer of photographic equipment
and materials, among others. U.S. importers who are part of
the program receive reduced inspections at the
border if they can show that their international suppliers
meet various security criteria including:
adequate physical security procedures for facilities and
ZAGREB 00000739 003 OF 003
shipments, proper employee identification
procedures, and regular training of personnel on security.
(DWestfall)
Bradtke