VZCZCXRO6734
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHVB #0102 0491239
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181239Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9908
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS ZAGREB 000102
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL HR ECON
SUBJECT: Zagreb Daily Report - February 18, 2010
1. (SBU) Deputy Secretary Lew Arrives for Presidential Inauguration:
Deputy Secretary Lew arrived in Zagreb on February 17 to attend the
inauguration of Croatia's third president, Ivo Josipovich. Prior to
the February 18 ceremony, the Deputy Secretary met privately with
President-elect Josipovic. On the margins of the inauguration
ceremony, the Deputy Secretary had bilateral meetings with Croatian
Foreign Minister Jandrokovic, Albanian President Topi, Slovenian
President Turk and others. Details to follow via septel.
2. (U) Croatian Media Reports on Serbian Attendance at Josipovic's
Inauguration: In response to Serbia's absence at the presidential
inauguration, the Croatian press reported on February 17 that
President-elect Josipovic said, "I'm sorry that President Tadic is
not coming. I think that it is a missed opportunity to start
dialogue as soon as possible." Josipovic noted that he did not see
Tadic's decision as an act of animosity towards him or towards
Croatia. Commenting on Josipovic's statement that Croatia was
offering Serbia its hand in friendship, the Croatian press noted
that Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Croatia was clearly
told that Serbian representatives would not attend the event if
representatives of Kosovo attended. Jeremic added that Serbia was
willing to cooperate in everything and wanted the best possible
relations with Croatia, "but not at the price of any humiliation or,
God forbid, the recognition of Kosovo ...."
3. (U) Poll Shows Croatians Have High Hopes for New President: On
the day of Ivo Josipovic's inauguration a new poll indicates that
Croatians are very positive about the new president and his ability
to improve conditions in Croatia. Nearly two-thirds of the
respondents think that Josipovic is likely to raise the standard of
living. Additionally, more than 80 percent of respondents believe
that Josipovic will be a positive force in the government's fight
against corruption. Despite the fact that the president has very
little influence in the economic sphere, the same poll shows that
more than half of respondents think that Josipovic's presidency will
help stimulate economic reforms, spur job growth and lead to lower
taxes.
4. (U) Office for Suppression of Organized Crime and Corruption
(USKOK) presents its report to the National Council for Suppression
of Corruption: USKOK's office reported that in 2009, 192 individuals
were convicted of corruption, which represents an increase of 138%
compared with 2008. The Director of USKOK reported that many of the
cases included high-level corruption and high-level officials,
giving the example of the government's former vice president, a
former minister and a state secretary. USKOK's director
additionally reported that in 2007, illegally gained property worth
15 million Euros was frozen. The USKOK director stated that his
office and the office of the Chief State Prosecutor are not subject
to political influence.
5. (U) ICITAP Case Management Training: ICITAP just completed a
two-day seminar on complex criminal case preparation for the
directors and senior staff of the Police's Office for Suppression of
Organized Crime and Corruption (PN USKOK) and the Prosecutor's
Office for Suppression of Organized Crime and Corruption (USKOK).
The seminar is designed to increase the conviction rate and develop
a better working relationship between the prosecutor and the police.
In February and March, ICITAP will offer additional case
management training seminars for police officers and state
prosecutors who work on complex criminal cases in Osijek, Split and
Rijeka, where PN USKOK and USKOK offices are located.
6. (U) Bojan Guduric, Wanted for Pukanic's Murder, to be Extradited
to Croatia: Croatian media report that the Bosnian Federal Court has
ruled that Bojan Guduric, accused of murdering Ivo Pukanic, the late
publisher and co-owner of the NCL media group in Zagreb, is to be
extradited to Croatia. After the Bosnian Minster of Justice signs
the extradition decree, law enforcement officials in Bosnia and
Croatia will agree on the technical details of Guduric's
extradition.
FOLEY