TFIZ01: UNCHR/CROATIA: CROATIA WILL OPPOSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000679 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2013 TAGS: PHUM PREL HR IZ UNCHR SUBJECT: TFIZ01: UNCHR/CROATIA: CROATIA WILL OPPOSE SPECIAL SITTING; UN ROLE IN POST WAR IRAQ REF: STATE 76558 CLASSIFIED BY: LAWRENCE G ROSSIN,AMBASSADOR FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: THE GOC WILL VOTE AGAINST THE PROPOSAL FOR A SPECIAL SITTING ON THE IRAQ CONFLICT, "AS IT IS CURRENTLY FRAMED AND GIVEN THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE COMMISSION." HOWEVER, DEPUTY FM SIMONOVIC TOLD AMBASSADOR IN CONVEYING THIS POSITION THAT THE SITUATION AT THE UNCHR IS "FLUID" AND THE GOC MIGHT RECONSIDER IF THE PROPOSAL EVOLVED POSITIVELY AND PARTICULARLY IF THE EU SWUNG IN BEHIND IT. THIS DECISION WAS TAKEN AT THE HIGHEST GOC LEVEL. OBVIOUSLY, USMISSION GENEVA WILL NEED TO WATCH THE CROATIANS CAREFULLY; THEY UNDOUBTEDLY WILL ASSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH ANY EU POSITION THAT EMERGES. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) AMBASSADOR DELIVERED REF A DEMARCHE TO DEPUTY FM SIMONOVIC EARLY MARCH 25. IN ADDITION TO PREVIOUS POINTS, AMBASSADOR EXPRESSED HIS VIEW THAT A GOC SHIFT FROM "ABSTAIN" TO "NO" WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE MUTUAL DESIRE OF PM RACAN AND THE AMBASSADOR TO CIRCUMSCRIBE OUR DIFFERENCES OVER IRAQ AND FIND COMMON GROUND, PER THEIR MARCH 24 MEETING. GIVEN OUR COMMON INTEREST IN REBUILDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UN SYSTEM AND FOCUSING THE WORK OF THE UNCHR ON REAL HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES, THIS SEEMED AN APPROPRIATE AREA FOR GOC SUPPORT. IT WAS NO ACCIDENT THAT COUNTRIES LIKE CUBA, LIBYA AND ZIMBABWE WERE PUSHING THIS; APART FROM BECOMING AN ANTI-AMERICAN CIRCUS, IT WOULD EAT UP TIME OTHERWISE AVAILABLE TO EXAMINE THEIR ABUSES. ¶3. (C) SIMONOVIC SAID HE HAD SPOKEN TO PM RACAN BEFORE THE MEETING AND WOULD SPEAK TO HIM AGAIN AFTERWARD. PERSONALLY, HE SEEMED TO FIND MANY OF THE ARGUMENTS APPEALING, BUT HE SAID HE COULD ONLY PROVIDE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER AFTER CONSULTING HIS SUPERIORS. ¶4. (C) SIMONOVIC APPEARED GENERALLY AWARE OF THE CONTENT OF THE AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSION WITH PM RACAN MARCH 24. HE AFFIRMED A GOC DESIRE TO END PUBLIC CONTROVERSY ABOUT OUR DIVERGENT POLITICAL POSITIONS ON IRAQ AND TO FOCUS ON CROATIA'S SUPPORT FOR THE GWOT AND WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN POST-CONFLICT ACTIVITY IN IRAQ AS WELL AS ON THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE UN IN IRAQ AND IN MAINTAINING A STABLE WORLD ORDER. UN INVOLVEMENT IN POST-WAR IRAQ WOULD CONSTITUTE "THE FIRST PHASE FOR THE RECOVERY OF THE UN." HE ASKED IF THE USG HAD DEVELOPED A POLICY OR FRAMEWORK FOR THE ROLE OF THE UN VIS-A-VIS IRAQI RECONSTRUCTION. ¶5. (C) THE AMBASSADOR NOTED THE PRESIDENT'S AND SECRETARY'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS OF DESIRE THAT THE UNITED NATIONS PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN POST-CONFLICT IRAQ. IN THAT REGARD, THE AMBASSADOR NOTED WITH DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THOSE COUNTRIES THAT HAD OPPOSED THE UNSCR IN THE UNSC SEEMED NOW TO BE BLOCKING AMENDMENT OF THE OIL-FOR-PEACE ARRANGEMENT TO BENEFIT THE IRAQI PEOPLE, AND CRITICIZING THE IDEA OF A NEW UNSCR FOR POST-CONFLICT ACTIVITY. THEIR APPARENT FOCUS WAS PERPETUATING THE PREVIOUS UNSC DEBATE, NOW ENDED. SUCH DWELLING ON THE PAST WOULD NOT ENHANCE THE REVITALIZATION OF THE UN SYSTEM THAT WE AND THE GOC SEEK. SIMONOVIC, CROATIA'S FORMER UN PERMREP, NODDED IN AGREEMENT. HE SAID HE HAD WRITTEN AN OP-ED (TO BE PUBLISHED IN A ZAGREB PAPER MARCH 26) CALLING FOR UN REFORM AND GREATER WEIGHT IN THE UN FOR THE MORE CAPABLE MEMBER STATES SUCH AS THE UNITED STATES. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: WHILE SIMONOVIC SAID A LOT POSITIVE, THE FACT THAT IT TOOK HIM ALL DAY TO GET US AN ANSWER TO OUR UNCHR DEMARCHE, AND THAT THE ANSWER WAS SO CAREFULLY HEDGED, INDICATES THAT CROATIA WILL NOT BE PROMINENT IN WORKING FOR THE SORT OF UN REFORM HE ADVOCATED. ROSSIN NNNN