NATO SYG IN ZAGREB: TURNING DOWN THE PRESSURE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000716 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE (NARDI) AND EUR/RPM (BAME) USNATO FOR DEHART AND MOELLER E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2013 TAGS: PARM PREL PREF HR NATO NATO SUBJECT: NATO SYG IN ZAGREB: TURNING DOWN THE PRESSURE ON REFORMS? REF: ZAGREB 617 CLASSIFIED BY: POLOFF A.F.GODFREY FOR REASONS 1.5 (B,D) ¶1. (C) NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ROBERTSON VISITED CROATIA FOR A BRIEF STOPOVER ON MARCH 31. IN MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT MESIC, PM RACAN AND KEY CABINET MEMBERS AND WITH PARLIAMENT LEADERS, ROBERTSON DELIVERED A GENTLE MESSAGE, ENCOURAGING CROATIA TO STAY ON TRACK WITH REFORMS IDENTIFIED UNDER THE MAP PROGRAM. RACAN WAS ACCOMPANIED BY DEFMIN ANTUNOVIC, CHOD LUSIC AS WELL AS DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SIMONOVIC. STJEPAN BARTULICA, HEAD OF THE MFA'S NATO OFFICE, MET WITH US ON APRIL 1 TO DESCRIBE THE MEETING WITH RACAN. ¶2. (C) IN A LENGTHY OPENING, RACAN EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE LACK OF UNITY ON IRAQ AT NATO. BARTULICA SAID THAT ROBERTSON WOULD NOT BE DRAWN INTO A DISCUSSION ON THE SUBSTANCE OF IRAQ, BUT SHARED RACAN'S CONCERN AND HOPED THINGS WOULD BE SET RIGHT AT THE NAC QUICKLY. BARTULICA TOLD US RACAN WAS ADVISED IN THE PRE-BRIEF TO PREEMPT DISCUSSION OF FUGITIVE ICTY INDICTEE GOTOVINA BY DECLARING THAT IN THE WAKE OF THE DJINDJIC ASSASSINATION, CROATIA BELIEVES THE TIME IS RIGHT TO MOVE AGAINST PIFWCS IN THE FRY AND RS. BARTULICA SAID ROBERTSON'S ONLY MESSAGE ON COOPERATION WITH THE HAGUE WAS AN EXPRESSION OF "UNDERSTANDING" FOR THE DIFFICULTY OF THE ISSUE; GOTOVINA WAS NOT RAISED. ¶3. (C) SYG ROBERTSON TOLD RACAN THAT CROATIA IS MAKING GOOD, STEADY PROGRESS IN MAP, AND IS A "BEACON" IN A DARK REGION OF EUROPE. CROATIA SHOULD USE THE MAP REVIEW PROCESS AS A ROADMAP FOR REFORMS. HE HAILED THE UPCOMING SIGNING OF THE ADRIATIC CHARTER, AND HOPED THAT IT WOULD SPEED PROGRESS TOWARD MEMBERSHIP. HE PRESSED THE CROATIANS TO DO BETTER ON BUILDING AND MAINTAINING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THEIR BID FOR MEMBERSHIP. HE RAISED REFUGEE RETURNS, BUT GENTLY: NATO ISN'T PRESSING THE GOC TO ENSURE ALL ACTUALLY RETURN, IT MUST MERELY CREATE THE CONDITIONS WHEREBY REFUGEES CAN RETURN IF THEY WISH TO. ¶4. (C) BARTULICA SAID THAT THEY EXPECTED A MUCH TOUGHER MESSAGE FROM SYG ROBERTSON. THE TEXT OF A DECEMBER 2002 LETTER FROM THE SYG (LEAKED TO THE LOCAL PRESS) TO PM RACAN LAMBASTED THE GOC ON FAILING TO MAKE PROGRESS ON DEFENSE REFORM AND DOWNSIZING. BARTULICA SPECULATED THAT THE DJINDJIC ASSASSINATION HAS PROMPTED INTERNATIONAL PRINCIPALS TO BACK OFF OF THEIR TOUGH LINE ON CROATIA. COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (C) WE ARE DISAPPOINTED THAT SYG ROBERTSON MAY HAVE LEFT SOME IN THE GOC WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT ASSASSINATION OF PM DJINDJIC MAY BE ENCOURAGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO EASE UP THE PRESSURE ON REFORMS. WHEN EC COMMISSIONER PATTEN WAS IN ZAGREB FOR A TRUNCATED VISIT (SO HE COULD VISIT BELGRADE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DJINDJIC ASSASSINATION),HE TOLD THE LOCAL EC HOM THAT INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON SERBIA MAY HAVE BEEN TOO HARSH AND COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO DJINDJIC'S ASSASSINATION (REFTEL). ¶6. (C) WE DISAGREE STRONGLY WITH THE PREMISE THAT STRONG IC PRESSURE ADDS TO INSTABILITY. THE DJINDJIC ASSASSINATION DID NOT CHANGE THE ISSUES HERE OR THE REASONS WE ARE PUSHING THE RACAN GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS THEM. REAL PROGRESS ON OUTSTANDING WAR LEGACY ISSUES LIKE ICTY COOPERATION AND REFUGEE RETURNS WOULD BE PROGRESS TOWARD BUILDING LONG-TERM STABILITY IN THE REGION. ROSSIN NNNN