GOC MOVING FORWARD WITH DEMINING PREVLAKA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000407 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON HR PBTS PGOV PREF HR PBTS PGOV PREF PREL PRELECON SUBJECT: GOC MOVING FORWARD WITH DEMINING PREVLAKA PENINSULA, MONTENEGRIN BORDER AREAS SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. WHILE THE GOC WILL COVER THE FULL COST OF DEMINING THE PREVLAKA PENINSULA, IT IS SEEKING INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE IN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 00407 01 OF 02 241640Z DEMINING AREAS ON BOTH SIDES OF ITS BORDER WITH MONTENEGRO. CROATIAN AUTHORITIES WANT TO BE ABLE TO TOUT PREVLAKA AS A MAJOR TOURIST ATTACTION THIS SUMMER, AND SEE DEMINING AS A KEY PART OF THIS EFFORT. END SUMMARY. GOC HAS BIG PLANS FOR PREVLAKA -------------- ¶2. AT THE INVITATION OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE CROATIAN MINE ACTION CENTER (CROMAC),OTO JUNGWIRTH, WE TRAVELED ON FEBRUARY 13 TO PREVLAKA AND OTHER AREAS ALONG THE CROATIAN BORDER WITH MONTENEGRO TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANING OF THE SCOPE OF THE MINE PROBLEM IN THE AREA. UNTIL RECENTLY, THE PENINSULA HAD BEEN OFF LIMITS, PART OF AN EXCLUSION ZONE OF THE UN OBSERVER MISSION (UNMOP),WHICH SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS IN DECEMBER. CROATIAN AND MONTENEGRIN AUTHORITIES DESCRIBED TO US EXTENSIVE COOPERATION THEY HAVE HAD ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES THEY BOTH FACE IN DEVELOPING THE REGION POST UNMOP. ¶3. BEFORE TRAVELING TO PREVLAKA, WE MET WITH HDZ MEMBER AND COUNTY PREFECT OF DUBROVNIK, IVAN SPRLJE, WHO HAS POLITICAL AUTHORITY OVER PREVLAKA. SPRLJE TOLD US THAT PLANS WERE ALREADY UNDERWAY TO ESTABLISH PREVLAKA AS A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION. HE SAID THAT ONE ASPECT OF THE PLAN IS TO CONVERT A HUGE PORTION OF THE PENISULA INTO A CAMP AREA FOR TOURISTS. IN ADDITION, THE GOC WILL BUILD AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CENTER ON PREVLAKA, WHICH WOULD BE THE LARGEST IN THE REGION. ALL OF THE FACILITIES WILL BE FOR PUBLIC USE AND WOULD BE OPEN YEAR ROUND. SINCE IT IS A STATE PROJECT, MUCH OF THE FUNDING FOR DEMINING AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION WILL COME UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 00407 01 OF 02 241640Z FROM THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. THE GOC HAS ALREADY ALLOCATED OVER $2 MILLION FOR VARIOUS PROJECTS AND WORK HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO ENHANCE ROADS AND WATER SUPPLY -- A LONGSTANDING CONSTRAINT -- TO THE PENINSULA. ¶4. SPRLJE SAID THE NUMBER OF MONTENEGRIN TOURISTS TO DUBROVNIK WAS UP CONSIDERABLY SINCE UNMOP SHUT DOWN. HIS ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO INCREASE THE POPULATION IN THE AREAS NEAR THE BORDER WITH MONTENEGRO. HE SPECULATED THAT MORE PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO THOSE AREAS ONCE GOOD RELATIONS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AMONG THE COMMUNITIES STRADDLING THE BORDER AND THE LANDMINES HAVE BEEN REMOVED. CURRENTLY, NO ONE WAS LIVING ON PREVLAKA OR IN THE AREAS NEAR THE BORDER. ONE MINE INCIDENT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BORDER COULD CAUSE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES TO NOSE DIVE. SPRLJE VOICED HIS APPRECIATION FOR U.S. INTEREST IN THE REGION AND POSSIBLE WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO DEMINING EFFORTS. EYEING THE TOURIST SEASON -------------- ¶5. ACCESS TO PREVLAKA IS RESTRICTED BY THE CROATIAN POLICE, PER AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE TWO SIDES WHEN UNMOP'S CLOSURE WAS BEING DISCUSSED. DEMINING EFFORTS, HOWEVER, ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY. CROMAC OFFICIALS TOLD US THAT THE PENINSULA CONSISTED OF ALMOST ONE MILLION SQUARE METERS OF LAND, ALL OF WHICH HAD TO BE EXAMINED FOR MINES. SO FAR, ONE-THIRD OF THE LAND HAD BEEN CLEARED. THEY SPECULATED THAT THE REMAINING AREAS WILL BE COMPLETED BY JUNE. THE GOC WANTED TO SPEED UP THE INTEGRATION OF THE PENINSULA AS PART OF CROATIAN TERRITORY AND TO SHOW THAT THERE WAS STABILITY ON ITS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00407 01 OF 02 241640Z SOUTHERN FLANK. ALSO, THE GOC IS SEEKING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE UPCOMING TOURIST SEASON BY HAVING PREVLAKA OPEN TO TOURISTS IN JULY. ¶6. CROATIAN AND MONTENEGRIN AUTHORITIES ARE COOPERATING IN IDENTIFICATION OF SUSPECTED MINE SITES NEAR THE BORDER. SO FAR THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED THREE AREAS AND HAVE DEVELOPED JOINT DEMINING PROJECTS FOR EACH OF THEM. ONE AREA IS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF PREVLAKA, WHILE THE OTHER TWO AREAS ARE ON THE MONTENEGRIN SIDE OF THE BORDER. EACH PROJECT CONSISTS OF ABOUT 100,000 SQUARE METERS. ONCE THESE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, AUTHORITIES TOLD US, THE ENTIRE AREA STRADDLING THE BORDER WILL BE MINE FREE. THE CROATIAN AND MONTENEGRIN GOVERNMENTS ARE SEEKING INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP FINANCE THE PROJECTS. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. RELATIONS BETWEEN MONTENEGRINS AND CROATIANS, BITTER FOR OVER A DECADE, ARE ON THE MEND, AND COOPERATION ON DEMINING HAS HELPED IMPROVE THE CLIMATE EVEN FURTHER. WHILE ON THIS VISIT THERE WAS NO FORMAL PITCH FOR U.S. FINANCIAL SUPPORT, WE WILL SEEK TO LEND OUR SUPPORT IN THIS EFFORT WHERE POSSIBLE. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ1648 PAGE 01 ZAGREB 00407 02 OF 02 241640Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00 CTME-00 DODE-00 ITCE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EXME-00 E-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 ITC-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SCT-00 SP-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-01 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /007W -------------- 3A9044 241640Z /38 O 241635Z FEB 03 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9527 INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000407 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON HR PBTS PGOV PREF HR PBTS PGOV PREF PREL PRELECON SUBJECT: GOC MOVING FORWARD WITH DEMINING PREVLAKA PENINSULA, MONTENEGRIN BORDER AREAS ¶8. BELGRADE MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. ROSSIN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 00407 02 OF 02 241640Z UNCLASSIFIED >