NATIONAL NATO COMMITTEE APPOINTS HEAD OF PUBLIC

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001462 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE HOH, SAINZ, BALIAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS MARR NATO HR DEFENSE REFORM SUBJECT: NATIONAL NATO COMMITTEE APPOINTS HEAD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN REF: ZAGREB 1331 ¶1. The National Committee on NATO Membership (reftel),under the chairmanship by President Stjepan Mesic, PM Ivo Sanader, and Speaker of Parliament Vladimir Seks, met on December 7 to review conclusions of the Riga Summit. In its second meeting since its formation in November, the committee expressed satisfaction with the positive signals from Riga and formed a subcommittee to direct efforts to raise public support for Alliance membership. ¶2. Presidential Defense Advisor Vlatko Cvrtila told PolOff that Ambassador to NATO Davor Bozinovic will chair the public outreach subcommittee, with MFA's Assistant Minister for Multilateral Organizations and International Security Pjer Simunovic as his deputy. According to Cvrtila, who will also serve on the subcommittee, their first order of business will be to finalize proposals for a public education campaign, which will include engaging ambassadors of NATO member states. BRADTKE