IRISH RESPONSE TO CROATIA/ICTY DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 001735 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2014 TAGS: PREL PGOV KAWC ICTY SUBJECT: IRISH RESPONSE TO CROATIA/ICTY DEMARCHE REF: STATE 254097 Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Mary Daly; Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) On November 30, Post delivered reftel talking points to Martina Feeney, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Political Division First Secretary for European Affairs. Feeney said Ireland expected that the December 17 EU Council decision on Croatia would be consistent with the conclusion reached in the Council's June meeting, which recommended starting negotiations on Croatia's EU candidacy in 2005. Ireland did not anticipate that the Council would revisit the June decision in a way that would make the arrest of Ante Gotovina a condition for commencing negotiations. Feeney cited the Irish Government's opinion that Croatia had made good progress in fulfilling its commitments under the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),notwithstanding the failure to locate Gotovina. She commented that accession negotiations would be the best way to ensure continued Croatian cooperation on its ICTY pledges, which would be central to the negotiating framework. Feeney stressed that there would be no question of Croatia reneging on its ICTY commitments once accession negotiations had begun. She also observed that it would be odd for the EU Council to take an unconditional decision on Turkey's candidacy negotiations while placing conditionalities on Croatia. KENNY