TFIZO1: UNCHR/CROATIA WILL OPPOSE SPECIAL IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000686 SIPDIS GENEVA FOR JDELAURENTIS DEPT FOR EUR/SCE MNARDI E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2013 TAGS: PHUM PREL HR UNCHR SUBJECT: TFIZO1: UNCHR/CROATIA WILL OPPOSE SPECIAL IRAQ SITTING REF: A. GENEVA 979 ¶B. ROSSIN/NARDI TELCON 3/26 ¶C. ZAGREB 679 ¶D. ROSSIN/DELAURENTIS EMAIL 3/27 CLASSIFIED BY: POLOFF MITCH BENEDICT FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND D ¶1. (C) ON RECEIPT OF REF A, AMBASSADOR SPOKE EARLY MORNING MARCH 27 WITH MIROSLAV KOVACIC, MFA NORTH AMERICA DIRECTOR, WHO WAS IN THE MEETING WITH DEPUTY FM SIMONOVIC THAT WE REPORTED IN REF C. THE AMBASSADOR RECALLED THE (HELPFUL BUT EU-CAVEATED) POSITION THE GOC HAD DECIDED UPON AND THAT HAD BEEN CONVEYED TO THE AMBASSADOR BY SIMONOVIC, AND SAID OUR REPORTS FROM GENEVA WERE THAT THEIR DELEGATION WAS STILL INTENDING TO ABSTAIN. THE AMBASSADOR ALSO NOTED INDICATIONS REPORTED BY GENEVA THAT THE EU WOULD OPPOSE. KOVACIC RECONFIRMED THE GOC STANCE WAS "NO, BUT WE WILL FOLLOW THE EU LINE IF THERE IS ONE," AS REPORTED IN REF C, AND HE SAID HE WOULD FOLLOW UP WITH HIS DELEGATION IN GENEVA. ¶2. (C) KOVACIC CALLED THE CROATIAN DELEGATION IN GENEVA AND THEN CALLED US BACK TO CONFIRM -- THEIR CURRENT INSTRUCTION IS TO OPPOSE, TO VOTE "NO" -- NOT "ABSTAIN." WERE THE EU TO TAKE A COMMON POSITION, CROATIA WOULD LINE UP WITH THAT POSITION, WHATEVER IT WAS. THE DELEGATION CONFIRMED IT KNOWS WHAT ITS INSTRUCTIONS ARE. ¶3. (C) IF, AS GENEVA REPORTS, THE EU IS GOING TO VOTE "NO," THEN IT WOULD APPEAR THE GOC IS A LOCK AGAINST THE SPECIAL IRAQ SESSION. ROSSIN NNNN