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