INTELLIGENCE SERVICES TO MERGE UNDER NEW LAW

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000816

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINR PGOV PHUM HR HUMAN RIGHTS
SUBJECT: INTELLIGENCE SERVICES TO MERGE UNDER NEW LAW


1. (U) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: Croatia's Intelligence and
Counterintelligence Agencies (OA and POA) will merge into a
single Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) under a new
law adopted by Parliament on June 30. Tomislav Karamarko,
the current head of POA and architect of the new law, is
widely expected to be appointed as director of the new SAO
when the law takes effect later this summer. While
achieving Karamarko's goal of integrating key elements of
the Croatian intelligence community, the law also preserved
key checks on intelligence abuses. Croatia's Military
Intelligence Agency (VOA) will become the Military Security
and Intelligence Agency (VSOA) under the new law. END
SUMMARY AND COMMENT.


2. (SBU) Despite earlier speculations to the contrary, the
new law regulating the work of the intelligence services
preserved the institution and powers of the Civilian
Oversight Council. Tin Gazivoda, a member of the Council
and a well-known human rights activist, told the Embassy on
July 3 that he was pleased with the level of protection
against abuses: citizens and NGOs can bring controversial
cases to the Council's attention, and the Council may react
to abuses on its own initiative.


3. (SBU) While slightly liberalizing the approval process
for surveillance activities, i.e. allowing the service
director to order "soft" forms of monitoring such as
photographing a person in a public place, all "hard"
measures of monitoring such as wiretapping will still
require approval of the Supreme Court. Gazivoda noted that
the previous law adopted under the former government began
the break from the abusive past of the former Yugoslav and
early Croatian intelligence services, as it gave oversight
authority to the Supreme Court and the civilian council.
"It is my impression that the process of making the services
less political and more professional gradually continues
with this law," Gazivoda concluded.

DELAWIE