CROATIA SUPPORTIVE AFTER POWELL PRESENTATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000292 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2008 TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ PGOV IZ HR HRPREL UNSC SUBJECT: CROATIA SUPPORTIVE AFTER POWELL PRESENTATION REF: A. (A) STATE 34169 ¶B. (B) ZAGREB 34089 ¶C. (C) ZAGREB 288 CLASSIFIED BY: CLASSIFIED BY NICHOLAS HILL, POL/ECON COUNSELOR, FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) CROATIAN PRESIDENT MESIC AND OTHERS IN THE GOC HAVE BEEN LARGELY SUPPORTIVE SINCE SECRETARY POWELL'S PRESENTATION TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON FEBRUARY 5. THE AMBASSADOR SAW CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ZAGREB 00292 01 OF 02 061736Z TOMISLAV JAKIC, MESIC'S FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR, AND MARIO NOBILO, ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER FOR MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS, ON FEBRUARY 6, TO DISCUSS IRAQ AND DELIVER A TRANSCRIPT OF THE SECRETARY'S SECURITY COUNCIL PRESENTATION. ¶2. (C) JAKIC SAID THAT MESIC PLANNED TO DELIVER A TOUGHLY WORDED STATEMENT (ADVANCE COPY PARA 5) TO THE NATION AT 7 PM ON FEBRUARY 6 CONVEYING CROATIA'S POSITION ON IRAQ. CROATIA WANTS TO SEE THE U.S. USE THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND TO PURSUE MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY IN ITS EFFORTS TO DISARM IRAQ, BUT AT THE END THE DAY, IRAQ MUST BE DISARMED. ACCORDING TO JAKIC, PRESIDENT MESIC WAS NOT INFORMED IN ADVANCE OF THE GOC'S SUPPORT FOR THE VILNIUS 10 STATEMENT (REFTEL B) ISSUED AFTER THE SECRETARY'S UNSC PRESENTATION AND WANTED TO DO HIS PART IN READYING THE CROATIAN PEOPLE FOR THE DIFFICULT PERIOD AHEAD. THE AMBASSADOR COMMENDED THE PRESIDENT'S INITIATIVE. ¶3. (C) AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, THE AMBASSADOR HEARD A SIMILAR MESSAGE FROM ASSISTANT MINISTER NOBILO. THE U.S. CAN COUNT ON CROATIA'S SUPPORT, BUT HOPES THAT THE U.S. WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO EXPLAIN ITS POLICIES CLEARLY, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ARAB AUDIENCES, AND WORKING TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SECURITY COUNCIL. HE NOTED THAT CROATIA HAD BEEN PUT IN AN "UNPLEASANT" SITUATION. THERE WAS A SPLIT IN THE EU ON THE ISSUE AND THE GOC WAS BEING "PUSHED FROM VARIOUS SIDES" ON HOW TO REACT. THE AMBASSADOR SAID THAT THE U.S. WAS DOING EVERYTHING IT COULD TO WORK THE ISSUE IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL. THE U.S. IS EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THE SECURITY COUNCIL REMAIN RELEVANT; PART OF THE COUNCIL'S REMAINING RELEVANT, HE ADDED, INVOLVES ENFORCING EXISTING CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ZAGREB 00292 01 OF 02 061736Z SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS ON IRAQ. THIS IS IN THE INTEREST OF THE U.S. AND THE UNITED NATIONS AS AN INSTITUTION. OTHERWISE THE UN BECOMES THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. �0A; ¶4. (U) THE FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUED TWO STATEMENTS ON FEBRUARY 5 ON THE SITUATION IN IRAQ. THE FIRST EXPRESSED CROATIA'S "PARTNERSHIP AND SOLIDARITY" WITH THE INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO DISARM IRAQ. THE MFA UNDERSCORED THE NEED FOR IRAQ TO HONOR "UNCONDITIONALLY" UN RESOLUTION 1441, WHICH CALLS FOR COMPLETE COOPERATION WITH THE UN INSPECTORS ON THE GROUND. THE PROLIFERATION OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION POSES "THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT" TO SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THE WORLD TODAY. THE MFA'S SECOND STATEMENT WAS IN SUPPORT OF THE EU PRESIDENCY'S FEBRUARY 4 APPEAL TO IRAQ. ECHOING THE PRESIDENCY, THE MFA STATEMENT NOTED THAT THE DEADLINE WHICH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAD SET IN UNSC RESOLUTION 1441 HAD PASSED AND THAT IRAQ MUST "IMMEDIATELY AND UNCONDITIONALLY" COMPLY WITH ALL UN RESOLUTIONS. ALL UN MEMBER STATES MUST RESPECT UN DECISIONS "FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE WORLD." (TRANSLATIONS EMAILED TO EUR/SCE NARDI.) ¶5. (U) ADVANCE COPY OF PRESIDENT MESIC STATEMENT TO THE NATION ON FEBRUARY 6 (INFORMAL EMBASSY TRANSLATION). BEGIN TEXT: STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AT THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL SESSION, THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE PRESENTED A LARGE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE IRAQI CRISIS, AND THE POSSIBLE LINKS BETWEEN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00292 01 OF 02 061736Z IRAQ AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. PART OF THIS INFORMATION CAN QUALIFY IN THE EVIDENCE CATEGORY, WHILE THE SECOND PART CONSISTS OF STRONG INDICATIONS. BOTH LEAD TO THE CONCLUSION THAT DOUBTS ABOUT THE LACK OF THE BAGHDAD REGIME,S FULL COOPERATION WITH UN INSPECTORS ARE WELL-FOUNDED, AND THAT THIS VIOLATES SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1441 DATED NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, WHICH REQUESTS DISARMAMENT OF IRAQ IN THE CONTEXT OF POSSESSION OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA, I HAVE ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION EXPRESSED STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE CREATION AND OPERATION OF THE GLOBAL ANTI-TERRORIST COALITION. I HAVE ALSO STRESSED THAT FACTORIES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, AS WELL AS THE WEAPONS THEMSELVES, MUST BE PUT UNDER EFFICIENT INTERNATIONAL CONTROL, THAT IS, THAT THEY MUST BE DESTROYED IF SUCH CONTROL CANNOT BE IMPLEMENTED. THIS CONTINUES TO BE MY STANDPOINT. I AM CERTAIN THAT ALONG WITH IT I AM PROTECTING THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA,S AND ALL OF ITS CITIZENS, KEY INTERESTS, BECAUSE BOTH INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WHICH ARE NOT UNDER CONTROL, REPRESENT A POTENTIAL BUT VERY CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ1849 PAGE 01 ZAGREB 00292 02 OF 02 061736Z ACTION IO-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 OIC-02 DHS-00 SSO-00 SS-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-01 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /005W -------------- 3217DC 061736Z /38 O 061715Z FEB 03 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9408 INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000292 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2008 TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ PGOV IZ HR HRPREL UNSC SUBJECT: CROATIA SUPPORTIVE AFTER POWELL PRESENTATION REALISTIC DANGER FOR ALL, INCLUDING OUR COUNTRY. I ALSO REPEAT THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH CONCRETE OPERATIONS DIRECTED AT FIGHTING GLOBAL TERRORISM, IT IS NECESSARY TO UNDERTAKE A LONG-TERM FIGHT AGAINST ITS ROOTS. I ALSO DEEM IT NECESSARY TO ONCE AGAIN POINT OUT THE COMPELLING PLACE AND ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS, BOTH IN THE FIGHT AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, AS WELL AS IN EFFORTS TO FIND, PUT UNDER CONTROL, OR, IF IT PROVES TO BE THE ONLY SOLUTION, DESTROY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ZAGREB 00292 02 OF 02 061736Z THE BAGHDAD AUTHORITIES BEAR THE CRUCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. THEY HAVE TO PROVE IRREFUTABLY THAT THEY ARE FULLY COOPERATING WITH THE UNITED NATIONS INSPECTORS, IN OTHER WORDS, THEY MUST, IN A SATISFACTORY MANNER AND WITHOUT DELAY, PROVIDE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE INFORMATION PRESENTED BY THE UNITED STATES TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL. DENIAL IS NOT AN ANSWER THAT CAN SATISFY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. INSPECTORS MUST BE ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH THEIR WORK ) NOT INDEFINITELY, OF COURSE. BEFORE THE DECISION ON THE USE OF FORCE IS MADE, ONE HAS TO BE CERTAIN THAT ABSOLUTELY ALL OTHER MEANS FOR REALIZATION OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1441 HAVE BEEN USED. INSPECTORS, THEREFORE, CANNOT CONTINUE WITH THEIR WORK INDEFINITELY, BUT THE OPTION OF WAR CANNOT BE RESORTED TO IMPRUDENTLY AND WITHOUT PREPARATION. IF WE WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD OF PEACE, STABILITY, AND SECURITY, AND I AM CERTAIN THAT THAT,S WHAT WE ALL WANT, SOMETIMES WE CANNOT AVOID DIFFICULT DECISIONS. A WISE MAN SAID LONG TIME AGO THAT THE LARGEST CRIME IS TO REFUSE TO FIGHT, WHEN THE FIGHT SHOULD NOT BE AVOIDED. WE HAVE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED THE TERROR OF WAR AND KNOW HOW TO APPRECIATE PEACE. THAT,S WHY WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO RESOLVING ALL PROBLEMS THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS. HOWEVER, WE ALSO KNOW THAT REPUBLIC OF CROATIA WOULD NOT EXIST IF WE HAD NOT FOUGHT, WHEN THE WAR WAS IMPOSED ON US. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ZAGREB 00292 02 OF 02 061736Z IF A WAR FOR WHAT IS RIGHT IS INEVITABLE, THEN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA KNOWS WHERE HER PLACE IS. HOWEVER, I STILL BELIEVE THAT A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION IS POSSIBLE AND WE SHOULD GIVE PEACE A CHANCE. THANK YOU! END TEXT. ROSSIN CONFIDENTIAL >