C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000753

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SCE ENGLISH AND BELL, WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2016
TAGS: PREL NAM HR CU
SUBJECT: (C) CROATIAN PRESIDENT LIKELY TO ATTEND
NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT SUMMIT IN HAVANA

REF: ZAGREB 388

Classified By: Ambassador Ralph Frank for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Croatian President Stjepan Mesic is likely to attend
the September summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in
Havana as an "observer," Presidential Advisor Budimir Loncar
(protect) told the Ambassador June 16. Loncar noted that
there was an internal struggle among the President's advisors
about his attendance at the meeting; Loncar, who opposed the
President's attendance, lost, and Presidential foreign policy
advisor Tomislav Jakic won. President Mesic would attend
primarily due to his interest in meeting with other world
leaders, Loncar said, not as an "endorsement" of the NAM or
of its host country.


2. (C) Ambassador noted such a visit by the President would
be wrong on two counts: firstly, any visit to Cuba by a
European leader could be seen as an endorsement of the Castro
regime's increasingly oppressive human rights policies;
secondly, many countries would regard as strange
participation in a NAM summit by the leader of a country that
aspires to both EU and NATO membership


3. (C) Many posts could benefit from talking points
regarding attendance at the Havana NAM summit. Zagreb
suggests that Department develop such points and distribute
them as an ALDAC before the summer break.
FRANK