CROATIA RESPONDS TO REQUEST FOR

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000243 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KPAO PTER IZ HR SUBJECT: CROATIA RESPONDS TO REQUEST FOR STATEMENTS OF CONDEMNATION OF THE AL-ASKARIYA SHRINE BOMBING REF: SECSTATE 28802 ¶1. Poloff delivered reftel points to North America Desk Deputy Director Ankica Vlasic on February 23. Later that same day, the MFA GOC issued the following statement as reported by the Croatian news agency HINA. Begin Quote: It is with regret that (the Ministry) has received news of a bomb attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra and attacks on other religious sites that ensued. (The Ministry) strongly condemns this act, as well as all other acts of violence against human life and attacks on religious sites in Iraq, which certainly do not help in defusing tensions between the religious communities and undermine the process of stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq. The Croatian ministry expressed hope that the Iraqi people and their political and religious leaders will seek the path of dialogue and a peaceful settlement to the conflict in order to build a democratic, prosperous and undivided Iraq where all its ethnic and religious communities will live in peace and equality. End quote. FRANK