VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHVB #0749/01 3551452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211452Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9755
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS ZAGREB 000749
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
PLEASE PASS TO EUR/SCE, S/CT: RHONDA SHORE, AND NCTC
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PGOV ASEC PREL EFIN CR
SUBJECT: CROATIA: 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM
REF: SECSTATE 109980
1. (SBU) Per reftel, the following is Embassy Zagreb's
submission for the 2009 Croatia Country Report on Terrorism:
Croatia
There were no terrorist attacks in Croatia during 2009. As
part of international efforts to counter violent extremists,
Croatia had approximately 300 troops participating in the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in
Afghanistan. Croatia joined NATO in April and began
contributing to the Alliance's counterterrorism efforts as a
member.
In 2009 Croatia started the drafting process for an action
plan to implement Croatia's national strategy for the
prevention and suppression of terrorism. Croatian expanded
its extensive counterterrorism legal framework by passing the
Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act which
entered into force in January. In March, Croatia also
adopted a new regulation on the internal organization of the
Ministry of Finance. This restructuring resulted in the
Anti-Money Laundering Office establishing a number of
departments such as an International Cooperation Department,
an Information System and Strategic Analysis Department, a
Prevention and Supervision of the Reporting Entities
Department, and a Financial Intelligence Analysis Department,
which includes a Suspicious Transactions Division and a
Division for Analytic Processing of Transactions and a
Terrorist Financing.
The Croatian Interagency Working Group on Suppression of
Terrorism amended its mandate adding UNSCR -1624 to the UNSC
Resolutions it was already charged with implementing such as
UNSCRs 1267, 1373 and 1566. The Interagency Working Group
also broadened its membership, by including a number of new
entities such as the Office of the National Security Council,
the Office for Human Rights, the Ministry of Tourism, the
Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency, and the
Agency for Public-Private Partnership.
Croatia is currently issuing biometric passports, and
starting in July 2010 all new passports will be required to
be biometric. In addition, as part of its negotiations to
join the Visa Waiver Program Croatia signed a number of
agreements in 2009 with the United States that strengthened
information sharing and cooperation between U.S. and Croatian
immigration, law enforcement, and security agencies. Croatia
also worked with EXBS to improve security along its 750 mile
border with Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia as well as to
monitor the country's 6,000 miles of coastline.
In 2009 Croatia chaired the UN Security Council's
Counter-Terrorism Committee. Croatia supported U.S. efforts
in the 1267 Sanctions Committee on Al Qaeda and Taliban.
Croatia also advocated providing further financial support to
the work of the Counterterrorism Implementation Task Force
(CTITF). Croatia cooperated with the CTC,s Executive
Directorate on the preliminary assessment of national
implementation of UNSCR 1373, and UN experts recognized
Croatia's achievements in this field.
The multinational special forces military exercise "Jackal
Stone 09" held in September in Croatia had approximately 1500
participants from 10 countries, including the United States,
and developed the capabilities of the participants in
countering terrorism.
Within the EU accession process Croatia cooperates closely
with the European Union so that its national counterterrorism
efforts are being kept in line with the requirements of the
EU acquis communautaire, as well as with the official EU
justice and home affairs and common foreign and security
policies.
During 2009 Croatia also chaired the Council of Europe's
Committee of Counterterrorism Experts (CODEXTER). Following
up on a Croatian initiative to develop cross-regional
cooperation in counterterrorism, the CoE, Spain and the
Organization of American States jointly organized a
Conference on Cyber Security in Spain in April. Under the
CODEXTER's umbrella Croatia also keeps an updated
self-assessing Country Profile that summarizes Croatia's
counterterrorism activities.
Croatia worked closely with the OSCE's Action against
Terrorism Unit (ATU). This resulted in a joint Croatian OSCE
workshop addressing cyber-security issues such as terrorist
use of the Internet, held in Zagreb in November. More than
140 national representatives as well as 20 internationally
recognized experts from academia, business, and government
participated in this event.
2. (U) The Embassy POC is Peter D'Amico,
(D'Amicopn@state.gov).
WALKER