CROATIA SOON READY TO TALK SOFA & ARTICLE 98

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000335

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE; PM/B:CORBETT; NP/RA
DEFENSE FOR OSD/POLICY:WINTERNITZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR PARM KNNP HR NATO
SUBJECT: CROATIA SOON READY TO TALK SOFA & ARTICLE 98

REF: ZAGREB 204

Classified By: Poloff Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)

SUMMARY and COMMENT
--------------


1. (C) New Assistant Minister of Defense for Policy Igor
Pokaz told the DCM in a introductory call on February 24 that
he is planning to lead a delegation to Washington around
March 29-31 to restart talks on Supplemental SOFA and Article
98 agreements. Pokaz would like to finalize an agreement on
either the SOFA or a Bilateral Shipboarding Agreement as a
deliverable for the next Bilateral Defense Commission meeting
scheduled for June 27-29 in Zagreb. Pokaz also outlined the
main points of the soon-to-be released Strategic Defense
Review, noting that the key issues of Coast Guard and air
policing had been put off for futher study.


2. (C) Although he mentioned Article 98 in this meeting,
Pokaz indirectly indicated that this was the least likely
near-term achievable, placing much more emphasis on the
prospect of reaching agreement on a Supplemental SOFA. Pokaz
replaces the effective but often prickly Jelena Grcic-Polic
as Assistant Minister at an opportune time. His military and
diplomatic experience, family military ties, and time served
as one of Grcic-Polic's deputies may make him a more
palatable interlocutor for a Croatian General Staff that had
often been at odds with the civilian leadership at the
Ministry. Pokaz's first steps are encouraging, but he will
face a tough challenge in mastering a broad portfolio on
which Grcic-Polic often kept close hold. END SUMMARY AND
COMMENT.


3. (C) DCM, DATT and Poloff with visiting EUR/SCE desk
officer paid an introductory call on newly appointed
Assistant Minister of Defense for Policy Igor Pokaz on
February 24. Pokaz explained that he decided to delay a
previously planned trip to Washington to discuss the
Supplemental SOFA and Article 98 agreements because the
interagency consultation process was not yet complete. He
said that he was provisionally planning to go to Washington
March 29-31 to restart the dialogue on these issues, assuming
the internal consultations were completed by then. Pokaz
said that he would like to discuss a number of issues,
including the Proliferation Security Initiative and Croatian
participation in regional exercises, and possible
contributions to training Iraqi forces in Jordan. Per Reftel
- the GoC subsequently decided to offer 2-6 police trainers
for Iraq in Jordan. Pokaz noted that recent remarks by EU
Foreign Policy Head Solana seemed to indicate that the EU was
softening its stance on Article 98 agreements. He noted that
if this were followed with actual proposals, it would greatly
facilitate Croatia's ability to find common ground with us.


4. (SBU) Pokaz summarized a briefing he had delivered
earlier that day to the Defense Attache Corps on the
Strategic Defense Review (SDR). The key achievement of the
SDR was the decision to continue to reduce the size of the
military and reshape it from a territorial defense force into
a deployable, mobile force. The new army would have 18,000
persons and two brigades, one of which would be trained and
equiped for international crisis response missions. On two
key questions - air policing and the use of the Navy for
Coast Guard missions -- the MoD has decided to conduct
further study.


5. (SBU) Pokaz emphasized that his key initial task was to
put an end to the not-always-behind-the-scenes bickering
between the General Staff and the civilian MoD. He stressed
that the General Staff and MoD fully supported the SDR as a
framework for further defense reform. Pokaz asserted that
SDR plans were fully financially sustainable, at either the
current defense spending level of 1.84% of GDP or the desired
2.1% of GDP. Following approval by the President and Prime
Minister, the SDR will be presented for public expert comment
and then possible, but not required, adoption by the Sabor
(parliament).

BIO NOTE
--------------


6. (C) Igor Pokaz describes himself as pro-U.S. dating at
latest from his diplomatic service at the Croatian Mission to
the UN in New York the 1999-2003. Although almost all of his
professional experience is in the Foreign Ministry, Pokaz has
credibility with the uniformed military both from his own
military experience as a junior officer in the Croatian Army
in the early 1990's (not listed in his official bio) and
through his father, a retired General in the Croatian Army.
Pokaz speaks fluent, colloquial English and calls himself a

NY Yankees fan. His three year old son, Daniel, was born in
the U.S. His wife, Mirna, is currently personal assistant to
the Foreign Minister, although that may change once the new
minister, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, finishes consolidating
the MFA with the Ministry of European Integration.
FRANK


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