A/ASD RICARDEL MEETINGS WITH CROATIAN PRIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000716

SIPDIS


SECDEF FOR OSD/ISP/EURASIA - ANDREW WINTERNITZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR HR NATO
SUBJECT: A/ASD RICARDEL MEETINGS WITH CROATIAN PRIME
MINISTER SANADER AND SABOR DEPUTY PRESIDENT BEBIC, APRIL 28

REF: ZAGREB 590

Classified By: JUSTIN FRIEDMAN, POLMIL OFF: REASON: 1.4 (B) AND (D)

SUMMARY
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1. (C) On April 28, Assistant Secretary of Defense for
International Security, Ms. Mira Ricardel, accompanied by
Ambassador Ralph Frank, met with Ivo Sanader, Prime Minister.
In addition to a tour of regional issues, Croatian Prime
Minister Ivo Sanader asked for U.S. support both in delaying
the expansion of the Adriatic Charter to (non-PfP members)
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro and on
reconsidering awarding the Legion of Merit to former Chetnik
leader Draza Mihailovic. She later met with Deputy President
of Parliament Luka Bebic to discuss bilateral defense
cooperation and legislative changes in support of defense
reform and NATO aspirations.

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SANADER MEETING
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2. (SBU) PM Sanader began the meeting by stressing the
leading role Croatia plays in Southeastern Europe. He ran
through a list of unresolved regional issues of concern to
Croatia ranging from Kosovo final status to a likely
Montenegrin referendum to an upbeat assessment on Macedonia.
Sanader said a &Turkish scenario8 whereby Croatia is kept
waiting indefinitely for EU membership would discourage not
just Croatia but the entire region.


3. (C) A/ASD Ricardel praised Sanader for Croatia,s third
MAP and the MOD,s effectiveness in presenting reforms.
Thanking Croatia for its contributions in Afghanistan, A/ASD
Ricardel said the U.S. would like Croatia to consider
participating in a Lithuania-led Provisional Reconstruction
Team (PRT) in Chaghcharan citing needs in explosive ordinance
disposal (EOD),engineering elements, force protection, and
air traffic control. She also thanked Sanader for Croatia,s
contribution to the training of Iraqi police in Jordan. She
suggested Croatia send a trade representative to Iraq.
Sanader noted that he had visited Jordan in February 2005 and
was very impressed with the American-built training facility.
A/ASD Ricardel listed ramping up participation in the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) as another useful
contribution that would receive recognition.


4. (C) Sanader asked for U.S. support for Croatia,s view
that Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro remain
observers to the Adriatic Charter until they become part of
PfP and the current A-3 receive a formal invitation to join
NATO. Repeating his expectation that Croatia, Macedonia, and
Albania should receive that invitation at the next NATO
summit, Sanader noted that his Bosnian and Serbian
counterparts are unofficially asking if they might join an
expanded A-5 as full members instead of as observers.
Sanader,s best case scenario would be if Bosnia-Herzegovina
and Serbia and Montenegro apply for Adriatic Charter
membership at the next NATO summit, presuming their inclusion
in PfP, while the current A-3 simultaneously graduate to full
NATO membership. Sanader raised two objections to an
enlarged A-5: politically, the move would be perceived in
Croatia as reviving the former Yugoslavia and more
importantly, the move would slow down the A-3 countries, MAP
progress. He noted the importance of a common approach to
Bosnia-Herzegovina,s and Serbia and Montenegro,s interest
in full Adriatic Charter membership ahead of next week,s A-3
meeting in Tirana.


5. (C) A/ASD Ricardel responded that any decision about
expansion of the Adriatic Charter should not be made by the
United States but by the Charter,s sovereign three members.
As the U.S. is not a member of the Adriatic Charter, it will
not take a position on A-3 expansion. She cited the
importance of maintaining PfP conditionality for
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro. Croatia should
encourage Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro to
meet the conditions for PfP membership and focus limited
resources on meeting its MAP goals, adding that meeting the
NATO target for defense spending of two percent of GDP was
important. In deciding on further NATO expansion, the allies
would also consider whether a country was a net contributor
to regional security or a net consumer. A/ASD Ricardel
suggested Croatia look for mentors among current NATO
members, highlighting the Danes as an excellent example for
defense transformation. Additionally, full cooperation with
the Hague tribunal will be important not just for Bosnia and


Serbia,s applications for PfP, but also for Croatia's NATO
and EU aspirations.


6. (C) Sanader noted that he led the Croatian delegation that
met with the EU Task Force to discuss the outstanding
Gotovina case. Sanader asserted that the GoC is strongly
committed to locating, apprehending, and transferring
Gotovina to The Hague. He cited nine indictees transferred
to The Hague in 2004 plus one other in 2005. While the GoC
has no reason not to send Gotovina to The Hague, all
information Sanader has leads to the conclusion that Gotovina
is not in Croatia. Sanader said that he presented a
six-point plan on what Croatia would do in the next two to
three months to the ICTY Chief Prosecutor. While Gotovina in
The Hague is the best option, if he is not in Croatia, the
GoC should show that it is doing its maximum to resolve the
case. Sanader pointed out that out of 626 requirements set
by the tribunal, 625 have been fulfilled. Sanader realizes
the importance of the issue and hopes to finish EU membership
negotiations within his mandate, which ends in 2007.


7. (C) Sanader repeated his &consistent8 position on
Article 98. He has full understanding for the U.S. position
and the reasons for it. As a candidate country for EU
membership, Croatia must adopt the EU position.
Hypothetically, if Sanader asked Parliament to consider an
Article 98 agreement, the EU would forget Gotovina and say
Croatia is not ready for membership because of Article 98.
A/ASD Ricardel responded that the International Criminal
Court remains a serious concern for the U.S. On Gotovina,
A/ASD Ricardel observed that sometimes the last thing is the
hardest to accomplish. She noted the recent progress in
Belgrade on transferring indictees and the political maturity
reflected by Haradinaj,s voluntary resignation and surrender
to the Hague tribunal. Unfortunately, an individual
portrayed by some as a patriot in Croatia is holding back an
entire country; a true patriot acts like Haradinaj.


8. (C) Sanader welcomed developments in Belgrade concerning
the transferring of indicted generals to the Hague tribunal.
He noted that during his visit to Belgrade ) the first by a
Croatian Prime Minister ) that Prime Minister Kostunica
praised the Croatian model for ICTY cooperation and said
Serbia and Montenegro would also turn over lower-level
indictees as soon as possible. Sanader believes this is
quite an achievement for Kostunica.

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Mihailovic Medal
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9. (C) Sanader raised one final issue: the proposed awarding
of the Legion of Merit award for Draza Mihailovic (see also
reftel). Sanader strongly asserted that Croatia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina interpreted this move as unhelpful for
those countries seeking to overcome the past. Sanader noted
that from 1942 Mihailovic was the leader of the Chetnik
movement which was fascist and associated with the Nazis like
the Ustashe were. His understanding was that the award would
now be presented in Belgrade to Mihailovic,s grandson.
Croatia is shocked that the U.S. would take this action at
this time. He continued that the Chetnik movement is
associated with Greater Serbia ideology. Sanader criticized
the timing of the award, coming on the heels of the decision
by the Serbian parliament to grant the same status to the
Chetniks as Tito,s Partisans. A/ASD Ricardel and Ambassador
Frank told Sanader that this issue is still under
consideration in Washington.

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SABOR MEETING
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10. (SBU) Deputy President of the Sabor, Luka Bebic, began
the meeting with background information on the role of the
Sabor in defense issues. Joining Bebic was Kresimir Cosic, a
former Deputy Defense Minister and current member of the
Sabor influential on military issues. Bebic characterized
the bilateral defense relationship with the United States as
very good and highly valued by the Croatian people. Bebic
hoped that Croatia would receive an invitation for NATO
Membership in 2006 and noted that the Sabor is looking at
legislation to reach NATO standards for Peace Support
Operations.


11. (SBU) A/ASD Ricardel noted the important role of the
legislature and thanked Bebic for the Sabor,s role in
supporting the GWOT through Croatia,s contributions to ISAF.
She also stressed the importance of the legislature in


assisting the transformation of the military noting that the
flexible, expeditionary nature required by conditions in the
21st century is impeded if approval is needed for every
change to deployments. A/ASD Ricardel related that she hoped
Bebic and Cosic could use their position to build public
support for NATO.


12. (C) Cosic remarked that a team from the Sabor would be
part of a delegation visiting Afghanistan in May to survey
the activities of the Croatian contingent with ISAF. He also
presented a paper on the upcoming conference hosted by
Croatia and in conjunction with Walter Reed Medical Hospital
on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder impact on peacekeepers.
Cosic stressed that transformation entails a change in
mentality. A/ASD Ricardel concurred. Cosic also briefed his
efforts to improve coastline protection from trafficking,
especially during the tourist season, by integrating all
radar and sensor data into a single, real-time database.
A/ASD Ricardel noted DOD support for border security and the
International Counter-Proliferation Program.


13. (U) A/ASD Ricardel cleared this message.
FRANK


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