CROATIA PITCHES CANDIDACY FOR UN PEACEBUILDING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000248

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE, IO/UNP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2016
TAGS: PREL HR
SUBJECT: CROATIA PITCHES CANDIDACY FOR UN PEACEBUILDING
COMMISSION

REF: SECSTATE 23591

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


1. (C) Poloff was called into the Ministry of Foreign affairs
on February 24 by Branko Zebic, Deputy Director for UN
Affairs, to receive the GoC campaign pitch for a seat on the
UN Peacebuilding Commission Organizational Committee. Zebic
told poloff that the MFA is following up on initial
solicitations of support made in New York last month. Zebic
provided poloff with a note verbale (text para 2) in support
of Croatia's candidacy. Poloff responded drawing on reftel
guidance, which seemed to please Zebic.


2. (SBU) Begin note verbale text:

Note 668/06

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of
the Republic of Croatia presents its compliments to the
Embassy of the United States of American in Zagreb and has
the honor to present the candidature of the Republic of
Croatia for one of the seven positions reserved for members
of the General Assembly on the Organisational Committee of
the Peacebuilding Commission pursuant to paragraph 4(e) of
General Assembly resolution A/RES/60/180.

Croatia has successfully bridged the divide from conflict to
development over a relatively short period of time. It is
now a stable, democratic country with an expanding economy
and is a factor of stability in its region. However, between
1992 and 2002 it hosted four United Nations peace keeping
missions on its territory: UNPROFOR, UNCRO, UNTAES and
UNMOP. At the height of the crisis in the region, Croatia,
with the assistance of the international community, was
caring for internally displaced persons and refugees from
neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina amounting to more than ten
percent of its total population.

UNTAES (the United Nationals Transitional Mission in Eastern
Slavonia) is broadly recognised as one of the United
Nations, most successful peacekeeping missions. This
mission contained significant elements of peace building
including demilitarization reconciliation and institution
building, with a well defined mandate and time for
implementation. Working with the international community and
other United Nations, the Croatian military, justice and home
affairs institutions and other parts of the civil service
gained considerable experience in the many aspects of
peacebuilding.

Following the successful conclusion of the last of the
peacekeeping operations in the country, Croatia turned toward
putting its painful national experience to use in promoting
peace and development in the international community.
Accordingly, it is now a contributor to eleven of the
eighteen United Nations peacekeeping operations, in most
regions of the world and commensurate with its national
capacities. Croatia also provides training for soldiers and
officers from prospective United Nations troop contributing
countries.

During its Presidency of the Economic and Social Council in
2002 Croatia was instrumental in strengthening coordination
between the Security Council and the Economic and Social
Council on post-conflict peace building, particularly through
the creation of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group for African
Countries Emerging from Conflict. This framework allowed for
a comprehensive approach to the humanitarian and
developmental needs of individual African countries allowing
for the development of a long term program of support
integrating relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and
development.

Having significant recent national experience in post
conflict peacebuilding, Croatia is will aware of the added
value that countries with such experience can bring to the
work of the Peacebuilding Commission. In this respect,
Croatia took a leading role, along with others, in advocating
the case of the establishment of the Commission as a vital
mission tool in the armory of the United Nations. It also
argues for the desirability of including countries that that
have been successful in peacebuilding at home in the
Organisational Committee of the Commission.

Croatia believes that over time a well managed intervention
can bridge the nexus between security and development. In
this sense, an efficient Peacebuilding Commission can provide
United Nations member states with a strong institutional tool
for managing this progression in an effective manner. An

efficient Peacebuilding Commission could strengthen joint
planning and coordination between donors, both bilateral and
multilateral, other actors and the subject state. A common
understanding of the challenges will strengthen national
ownership and avoid formulaic solutions. Fundamentally, the
Peacebuilding Commission has the potential to reduce the
incidence of countries lapsing into conflict.

In this regard, the Republic of Croatia believes that given
its successful national experience of post conflict
peacebuilding and its contribution to peacekeeping and
peacebuilding both within and outside the United Nations
system to date, it could make a marked contribution to the
work of the Organisational committee of the Peacebuilding
Commission.

The Croatian Government would therefore highly value the
support of the esteemed Government of the United States of
America for its candidature to the Organisational Committee
of the Peacebuilding Commission.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of
the Republic of Croatia avails itself of this opportunity to
renew to the Embassy of the United States of America in
Zagreb the assurances of its highest consideration.

February 23, 2006

End Note Verbale text.
FRANK