FY-04 U.S. SPEAKER EVALUATION-CRS ANALYST PAUL

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000969 SIPDIS STATE FOR IIP/T/DHR JEREMY PROUT AND IIP/G/EUR LAWRENCE SCHWARTZ INFO EUR/PPD SUSAN ROSS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OIIP HR NATO SUBJECT: FY-04 U.S. SPEAKER EVALUATION-CRS ANALYST PAUL GALLIS ¶1. DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY: IN 11 PROGRAMS OVER FOUR DAYS (APRIL 28-30 AND MAY 3, 2004),U.S. SPEAKER AND NATO EXPERT PAUL GALLIS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE EXPLAINED U.S. CONGRESSIONAL VIEWS ON NATO AND NATO EXPANSION, ENCOURAGED THE CONTINUATION OF CROATIAN DEFENSE REFORMS, AND ENCOURAGED CROATIANS TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN AS THE COUNTRY MOVES CLOSER TO JOINING NATO. GALLIS ALSO MET WITH CROATIA'S NATO COORDINATOR, ADDRESSED A JOINT MEETING OF THE PARLIAMENT FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES OF THE U.S. - ADRIATIC CHARTER AND, AT A LUNCH HOSTED BY AMBASSADOR FRANK, KICKED-OFF PA ZAGREB'S NATO TOUR FOR NEW CROATIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS. ¶2. DATE, FISCAL YEAR, QUARTER: APRIL 27-MAY 4 2004; FY- 04; SECOND-THIRD QUARTER. ¶3. JUSTIFICATION AND OBJECTIVE: CROATIA IS EAGER TO BECOME A MEMBER OF NATO AND IS CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTING A SERIES OF DEFENSE REFORMS. PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NATO, HOWEVER, IS LIMITED. POST HAD TWO MAIN OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SPEAKER PROGRAM: 1) TO KICK-OFF OUR NATO TOUR, MAY 3-7, WHICH INCLUDED NEW MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FROM THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEES; 2) TO ENGAGE A VARIETY OF AUDIENCES ON NATO AND U.S. CONGRESSIONAL ISSUES. ¶4. MPP STRATEGIC GOAL AND AUDIENCE REACHED: MPP GOAL: REGIONAL STABILITY. AUDIENCES INCLUDED CROATIAN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE MINISTRY OFFICIALS, ACADEMICS, STUDENTS, JOURNALISTS AND THINK-TANKERS. IN ADDITION, GALLIS ENGAGED MEMBERS OF THE MACEDONIAN AND ALBANIAN PARLIAMENTS IN THE PARLIAMENTARY MEETING OF THE ADRIATIC CHARTER, HOSTED BY THE CROATIAN PARLIAMENT MAY 3-4. ¶5. RESULT/IMPACT: EXCELLENT. GALLIS'S THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF NATO AND OF THE U.S. CONGRESS MADE HIM AN ENORMOUS HIT WITH ALL OF HIS AUDIENCES, FROM UNIVERSITY CLASSES TO DEFENSE MINISTRY OFFICIALS, FROM JOURNALISTS TO MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPRESENTATIVES. IN EVERY MEETING, GALLIS REVIEWED CONGRESSIONAL VIEWS OF NATO AND CURRENT NATO ISSUES. WHEN ASKED ABOUT U.S. VIEWS OF CROATIA ENTERING NATO, HE EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF CROATIA'S WORKING ON THE REFUGEE RETURN ISSUE AND DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO SEE INDICTED WAR CRIMINAL GENERAL GOTOVINA TURNED OVER TO ICTY. IN ADDITION, GALLIS FIELDED A WIDE-RANGE OF QUESTIONS FROM OVER 100 LAW AND POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS KNOWN FOR THEIR CRITICAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS U.S. FOREIGN POLICIES. FINALLY, HE WAS INTERVIEWED BY GLOBUS MAGAZINE, ONE OF TWO MAJOR NEWSWEEKLIES IN CROATIA. WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF GALLIS' PRESENCE IN ZAGREB DURING THE FIRST-EVER MEETING OF THE CHAIRS OF THE ADRIATIC CHARTER PARLIAMENT FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES. GALLIS BRIEFED MEMBERS OF THE CROATIAN, ALBANIAN AND MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENTS ON HOW THE U.S. CONGRESS VIEWS THE NATO EXPANSION PROCESS. ¶6. NON-USG SOURCES OF IN-COUNTRY FUNDING: NONE ¶7. QUALITY AND SUPPORT OF IIP OFFICES INVOLVED: POST MADE THE MAJORITY OF ARRANGEMENTS DIRECTLY WITH GALLIS. FRANK NNNN