CROATIA SUPPORTS PSI PRINCIPLES, SEEKS MORE

UNCLAS ZAGREB 002047

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR NP, T, EUR AND EAP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM PREL HR
SUBJECT: CROATIA SUPPORTS PSI PRINCIPLES, SEEKS MORE
INFORMATION

REF: A. STATE 254587


B. STATE 262197

SENSITIVE, BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE TREAT ACCORDINGLY

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) CROATIA IS "FULLY SUPPORTIVE" OF THE PRINCIPLES OF
THE PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE, BUT ASKED FOR MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PSI'S LEGAL FRAMEWORK. PLEASE SEE PARA
6 FOR ACTION REQUEST. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) ON SEPTEMBER 18, WE ENGINEERED A JOINT DEMARCHE BY
REPRESENTATIVES OF EMBASSIES OF ALL ELEVEN PSI MEMBER STATES
TO ZORAN MILANOVIC, THE HEAD OF THE MFA'S DIVISION OF
MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS. DRAWING ON THE TEXT OF THE STATEMENT,
PRESS MATERIALS AND COMMON THEMES FROM INSTRUCTIONS FROM
CAPITALS, WE DELIVERED A STRONG MESSAGE OUTLINING THE GOALS
OF THE INITIATIVE AND ASKED FOR CROATIA'S SUPPORT.


3. (SBU) MILANOVIC WAS APPROPRIATELY IMPRESSED BY THE SHOW
OF SOLIDARITY AND SAID "WHATEVER ALL ELEVEN OF YOU ARE FOR,
THEN CROATIA IS FOR IT ALSO." MILANOVIC SAID THAT HE HAD
ALREADY REVIEWED THE STATEMENT AND THAT CROATIA WAS "FULLY
SUPPORTIVE OF THE PRINCIPLES. (NOTE: WE DELIVERED THE TEXT
AS INSTRUCTED BY REF A ON SEPTEMBER 5; IT TOOK TIME TO
ARRANGE A JOINT APPROACH TO THE GOC. END NOTE.) MILANOVIC
ASKED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
SUPPORTING THE INITIATIVE. HE ALSO ASKED IF THERE WERE PLANS
TO CREATE A STANDING INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE PSI.


4. (SBU) WE TOLD MILANOVIC THAT THE PSI WAS ALREADY ENGAGED
IN A ROBUST TRAINING SCHEDULE. RESPONDING TO A QUERY ABOUT
PROXIMITY OF EXERCISES TO CROATIA, ITALIAN DCM GIOVANNI
DAVOLI SAID THAT ITALY WOULD HOST AN AIRBORNE INTERDICTION
EXERCISE IN DECEMBER 2003 AND WAS CONSIDERING HOSTING A
MARITIME EXERCISE IN 2004. MILANOVIC ASKED IF IT WOULD BE
POSSIBLE FOR CROATIA TO BE AN OBSERVER IN THE UPCOMING
EVENTS.


5. (SBU) WE THANKED MILANOVIC FOR HIS STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
TO THE PSI PRINCIPLES. NOTING THAT THE RELATIVE
RECEPTIVENESS TO PSI PRINCIPLES WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT AN
UPCOMING PSI MEETING IN LONDON, WE ASKED MILANOVIC TO PREPARE
A MORE FORMAL STATEMENT DESCRIBING CROATIA'S POSITION ON PSI.
HE COMMITTED TO DELIVERING A NON-PAPER BY THE END OF
SEPTEMBER.

ACTION REQUEST
--------------


6. (SBU) REQUEST DEPARTMENT GUIDANCE ON HOW TO RESPOND TO
MFA QUERIES ABOUT THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF THE PSI, PLANS FOR
AN INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE REQUEST TO OBSERVE AN
UPCOMING PSI EXERCISE.
FRANK

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