CROATIA AGREES TO SEEK SERBIAN ENDORSEMENT OF PSI

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000538 SIPDIS SIPDIS PASS TO EUR/SCE, EUR/PRA, ISN/CPI:STUMPF, NP AND T E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016 TAGS: MNUC PARM PGOV PHSA PREL KNNP HR SUBJECT: CROATIA AGREES TO SEEK SERBIAN ENDORSEMENT OF PSI PRINCIPLES REF: STATE 57481 Classified By: POL OFF JFRIEDMAN for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) PolOffs delivered reftel points to Sanja Bujas-Juraga, Head of the Department for International Security, MFA on April 26. Bujas-Juraga agreed that Croatia could best approach Serbia for interest in endorsing the PSI principles. She said that she had received little traction in previous discussions on PSI with Serbian counterparts. However, she said she would look to opportunities in the coming weeks to try again to generate interest among her Serbian counterparts. ¶2. (C) Bujas-Juraga briefed that the GoC had created a special, interagency National Commission for Non-proliferation of WMD and Means of their Delivery. The Commission, which will meet for the first time next week at the Assistant Minister level, was created to develop and implement action-oriented goals for the GoC,s PSI efforts, as well as in broader non-proliferation efforts and implementation of UNSCR 1540. The Commission will also be tasked with developing standard operating procedures for crisis response management. ¶3. (C) In response to PolOff,s query, Bujas-Juraga reported that the instrument of ratification for the U.S.-Croatia Bilateral Shipboarding Agreement would be submitted for Cabinet approval next week. Following Cabinet approval, the ratification instrument goes to the Sabor (parliament) for a vote. Bujas-Juraga was confident that the Agreement would be ratified in the next four to six months. FRANK