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 NNNN