CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT ON IRAQ

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000072 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL IZ HR UN SUBJECT: CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT ON IRAQ ¶1. ON JANUARY 8, CROATIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUED A STATEMENT CALLING FOR IRAQ TO "PRESENT CREDIBLE EVIDENCE THAT IT DOES NOT POSE A THREAT" TO INTERNATIONAL SECURITY. THE STATEMENT (SEE BELOW FOR AN INFORMAL TRANSLATION) NOTES CROATIA'S PARTICIPATION IN UNMOVIC, AND URGES THAT SHOULD AN INSPECTION REGIME FAIL IN IRAQ THAT THE ISSUE MUST BE REFERRED TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL. THE STATEMENT LAUDS U.S. LEADERSHIP IN THE WAR AGAINST TERROR AND CALLS FOR A GREATER ROLE FOR NATO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME EXPRESSES CONCERN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 00072 102351Z FOR REACTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO POTENTIAL ACTION IN IRAQ. ¶2. BEGIN TEXT OF INFORMAL TRANSLATION OF JANUARY 8 MFA STATEMENT: CROATIA HAS BEEN MONITORING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST WITH CONCERN, AND IT APPEALS TO THE GOVERNMENT IN IRAQ TO CONSISTENTLY COOPERATE IN IMPLEMENTING U.N. RESOLUTION 1441 WHICH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A PEACEFUL SOLUTION OF THE CRISIS. THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED THE ADOPTION OF U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1441 IN NOVEMBER 2002 REGARDING THE INSPECTION REGIME IN IRAQ. IRAQ MUST PRESENT CREDIBLE EVIDENCE THAT IT DOES NOT POSE A THREAT TO WORLD PEACE AND THAT ITS ACTIONS WILL NOT INCREASE THE DANGER OF WAR. WITHIN ITS CAPACITY, CROATIA IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESSFUL WORK OF THE UNMOVIC INSPECTION TEAM IN IRAQ THROUGH THE PARTICIPATION OF ITS EXPERT INSPECTORS. SHOULD THE INSPECTION TEAM NOT SUCCEED, CROATIA BELIEVES THAT A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM SHOULD BE SOUGHT THROUGH THE SECURITY COUNCIL. ACCORDING TO THE INTERPRETATION OF RESOLUTION 1441 GIVEN AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL SESSION IN WHICH IT WAS ADOPTED, THE SECURITY COUNCIL SHOULD BE CONSULTED FIRST IN CASE OF ANY VIOLATION OF THE INSPECTION REGIME BY IRAQ. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 00072 102351Z IN THIS REGARD, CROATIA ONCE AGAIN CALLS ON IRAQ TO FULLY CO-OPERATE WITH UNMOVIC INSPECTORS AND IS AWAITING A UN REPORT EXPECTED LATE IN FEBRUARY. CROATIA THUS SUPPORTS RESPECT FOR INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE ROLE OF THAT WORLD ORGANIZATION IN RESOLVING CRISIS SITUATIONS. CROATIA CONSISTENTLY ADVOCATES THE CONTROL, BAN AND ELIMINATION OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, AND IS VERY ACTIVE IN THE UN AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL FORA IN TERMS OF CONSISTENT APPLICATION OF ALL CONVENTIONS RELATIVE TO THIS TYPE OF WEAPONRY. CROATIA ALSO WELCOMES THE EFFORTS MADE BY THE U.S. AS THE LEADING POWER IN THE INTERNATIONAL ANTI-TERRORIST COALITION, AND THOSE MADE BY NATO. AS A CANDIDATE FOR MEMBERSHIP IN NATO, CROATIA HOLDS THAT THE ALLIANCE SHOULD BE UTILIZED EVEN MORE IN FIGHTING GLOBAL TERRORISM AND IN DEFENSE OF THE HIGHEST DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES, INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY. NEVERTHELESS, CROATIA IS CONCERNED ABOUT ANY POSSIBLE REPERCUSSIONS OF A MILITARY SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS IN THE ENTIRE REGION OF THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST. IN THIS REGARD, EXPECTED REPERCUSSIONS OF A POSSIBLE ESCALATION OF THE CRISIS COULD ENTAIL A HUGE NUMBER OF CIVILIAN VICTIMS, A MASS REFUGEE CRISIS AND DISRUPTION OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. END TEXT. MOON UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00072 102351Z UNCLASSIFIED >