SANADER REACHES OUT TO CARLA DEL PONTE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 002661

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2013
TAGS: PHUM HR
SUBJECT: SANADER REACHES OUT TO CARLA DEL PONTE

REF: ZAGREB 2656

CLASSIFIED BY: NICHOLAS HILL, POLECON COUNSELOR, FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AN
D (D).

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


1. (C) CROATIA'S INCOMING PRIME MINISTER, IVO SANADER,
CALLED UP CHIEF PROSECUTOR CARLA DEL PONTE ON DECEMBER 19 TO
UNDERSCORE HIS DESIRE TO MAINTAIN CLOSE COOPERATION WITH THE
WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL. TOM OSORIO (STRICTLY PROTECT),THE HEAD
OF THE ICTY OFFICE IN ZAGREB, TOLD US AFTER THE TELEPHONE
CALL THAT THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR WAS "EXTREMELY HAPPY" AT
SANADER'S INITIATIVE. THE CONVERSATION WAS CONSTRUCTIVE, HE
SAID, AND PUTS THE NEW GOVERNMENT'S RELATIONS WITH THE HAGUE
ON A VERY GOOD FOOTING. EARLIER ON DECEMBER 19, OSORIO MET
WITH FOREIGN MINISTER-DESIGNATE MIOMIR ZUZUL, AND DISCUSSED A
RANGE OF ISSUES THE NEW GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE WITH THE
TRIBUNAL. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) SANADER'S CALL ON DECEMBER 19 TO DEL PONTE CAME
AFTER HE TOLD THE AMBASSADOR EARLIER ON THE SAME DAY (REF)
THAT HE WANTED TO MAKE THE INITIATIVE BUT WAS CONCERNED --
NAMELY, BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT ANY CONVERSATION WITH DEL
PONTE REPORTED IN THE PRESS AT THIS STAGE. SOON AFTER WE
REPORTED THIS TO OSORIO, HE MET WITH ZUZUL AND OFFERED
ASSURANCES. SANADER PLACED THE CALL LATER ON THE SAME DAY.
FOR HIS PART, OSORIO SAID HIS MEETING WITH ZUZUL, HIS FIRST
WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER-DESIGNATE, WENT WELL. HE DESCRIBED
HIS OFFICE'S WORK, WHERE RELATIONS WITH THE PREVIOUS
GOVERNMENT HAD GONE WELL AND WHERE THEY FELL SHORT --
PRIMARILY WITH RESPECT TO DELIVERING FUGITIVES, MOST NOTABLY
ANTE GOTOVINA.


3. (C) OSORIO TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO TELL ZUZUL THAT THE
TRIBUNAL VERY MUCH APPRECIATED THE WORK OF THE HEAD OF THE
GOC'S ICTY COOPERATION OFFICE, JAKSA MULJACIC AND, MORE
IMPORTANTLY, THE GOC'S STATE PROSECUTOR MLADEN BAJIC. ZUZUL
TOOK HIS COMMENTS ON BOARD AND APPARENTLY PASSED THEM ON TO
SANADER; DURING HIS TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH DEL PONTE,
THE PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE SAID HE PLANNED TO KEEP
MULJACIC, WHO KNOWS DEL PONTE WELL FROM HIS TOUR AS CROATIA'S
AMBASSADOR IN THE HAGUE. SANADER WAS LESS COMMITTAL ABOUT
BAJIC, BUT ACCORDING TO OSORIO -- AND WE HAVE HEARD SIMILAR
REPORTS -- THERE ARE NO IMMEDIATE PLANS TO REPLACE THE
CURRENT STATE PROSECUTOR, WHO HAS BEEN OFFICE FOR LESS THAN
TWO YEARS. BAJIC HAS DEVELOPED A REPUTATION FOR FAIRNESS AND
PROVED TO BE AN EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATOR.


4. (C) OSORIO TOLD ZUZUL HOW THE TRIBUNAL HOPED ITS
RELATIONSHIP WITH CROATIA WOULD DEVELOP UNDER THE NEW
GOVERNMENT. HE REMINDED THE INCOMING FOREIGN MINISTER THAT
THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE A QUICKER PACE OF ACTIVITY IN COMING
MONTHS, WHICH HAD SLOWED DOWN OWING IN PART TO CROATIA'S
ELECTIONS SEASON. BEFORE MEETING ZUZUL, OSORIO EXPRESSED
SOME CONCERN ABOUT THE WAY THE INCOMING PRIME MINISTER HAD
REPORTEDLY INDICATED A DESIRE TO BE THE GOC'S POINT PERSON
FOR RELATIONS WITH THE TRIBUNAL. OSORIO TOLD US THAT THE
PROSECUTOR SAW THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP AS
KEEPING IT FOCUSED AT THE JUSTICE SECTOR LEVEL. ALTHOUGH NOT
CLEAR IF HE DISCUSSED THIS WITH DEL PONTE, SANADER TOLD THE
PRESS OVER THE WEEKEND THAT HE WOULD NOT BE THE GOC'S POINT
PERSON WITH THE TRIBUNAL.

COMMENT
--------------


5. (C) WE STRESS THAT WHAT SANADER ULTIMATELY SAID TO CARLA
DEL PONTE ON DECEMBER 19 CAME TO US THIRD HAND. THE KEY
POINT IS THAT, FROM THE TRIBUNAL'S STANDPOINT, THE
CONVERSATION SHOWED SANADER TRYING TO REACH OUT. IT WILL NOT
TAKE LONG FOR THE NEW HDZ-LED GOVERNMENT TO BE PUT TO THE
TEST ON ITS COMMITMENTS TO THE ICTY. WE EXPECT THE TRIBUNAL
TO DELIVER SEVERAL NEW INDICTMENTS TO THE GOC EARLY IN THE
NEW YEAR. THESE INDICTMENTS COMBINED WITH INCREASING
PRESSURE TO TRACK DOWN ICTY FUGITIVE ANTE GOTOVINA -- WHOSE
STATUS STILL LOOMS SIGNIFICANTLY AS AN OBSTACLE TO CROATIA'S
EU AND NATO ASPIRATIONS -- ENSURES THAT BROMIDES WILL NOT
PASS FOR COOPERATION. AND SANADER, WITH A GOOD NUMBER OF
HARD LINE NATIONALISTS IN HIS RANKS, WILL BE FEELING THE HEAT
FROM THE BEGINNING OF HIS TENURE.

FRANK

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