CROATIA DOES NOT SUPPORT U.S. CANDIDATE FOR

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001678 SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES/OMC - DMWARNER-KRAMER NMFS FOR KBLANKENBEKER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIS AORC PHSA SENV HR ICCAT SUBJECT: CROATIA DOES NOT SUPPORT U.S. CANDIDATE FOR ICCAT EXECUTIVE SECRETARY REF: STATE 209478 ¶1. ON JULY 23 WE PROVIDED REFTEL TALKING POINTS TO THE ANDREA BEKIC, DEPARTMENT FOR NORTH AMERICA, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AND IVAN KATAVIC, ASSISTANT MINISTER OF FISHERIES AND AGRICULTURE IN CHARGE OF THE FISHERIES DIRECTORATE. ON JULY 25, KATAVIC TOLD US CROATIA DOES NOT SUPPORT THE CANDIDACY OF MR. JOSEPH POWERS FOR THE NEW EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF ATLANTIC TUNAS (ICCAT). ¶2. KATAVIC STATED THAT CROATIA HAD ALREADY SUBMITTED ITS BALLOT RANKING, AND INCLUDED ONE CANDIDATE EACH FROM JAPAN AND MOROCCO, AND THREE CANDIDATES EACH FROM SPAIN AND FRANCE. CROATIA BELIEVES THE CANDIDATES IT SUPPORTED WILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE EASTERN STOCK OF TUNA BETTER THAN MR. POWERS. KATAVIC CITED ECONOMIC REASONS AS THE BASIS FOR CROATIA'S DIFFERENCES WITH THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA ON THE ISSUE OF INTRODUCING A MORATORIUM ON TUNA FISHING. HOWEVER, IN 2004 CROATIA WILL BE ASSIGNED A FISHING QUOTA FOR TUNA BY THE EU. ¶3. COMMENT: ON THIS ISSUE AND OTHERS, CROATIA'S EU ASPIRATIONS WILL TRUMP MOST OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. END COMMENT. FRANK NNNN