JUSTICE MINISTER - PROPERTY RESTITUTION ONE STEP

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000846 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SCE ENGLISH, BELL, PFEUFFER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KJUS CASC CJAN HR HUMAN RIGHTS SUBJECT: JUSTICE MINISTER - PROPERTY RESTITUTION ONE STEP CLOSER FOR AMCITS REF: A. ZAGREB 686 ¶B. ZAGREB 348 ¶C. ZAGREB 278 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In a July 12 introductory call on Justice Minister Ana Lovrin, Ambassador Bradtke stressed the importance the USG places on Croatia's continued judicial reforms and on creation of a fair and transparent process in dealing with property restitution claims from the time of the former Yugoslav government. Minister Lovrin said she has submitted to the government a draft amendment to the 1996 property restitution law that will allow foreigners the same access to the law as Croatian citizens without the need for bilateral agreements (refs A and B). She expects the government to submit the amendment to parliament after it convenes on September 15. Lovrin also reported that amendments to the law on criminal procedure will also go before parliament in the fall clearly defining use of video testimony in Croatian courts, removing any obstacles to the use of USG-donated videoconference systems to protect witnesses. END SUMMARY. USG ASSISTANCE WELL RECEIVED -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Lovrin expressed gratitude for extensive assistance from the USG under Post's capacity building project for the prosecution of war crimes, including not only witness protection equipment but also training for judges, prosecutors and police. She noted that Post's approach of primarily using leading Croatian judges and prosecutors as instructors rather than foreign experts was particularly validating. ¶3. (SBU) Lovrin reported that she is continuing to address the Croatian judiciary's enormous case backlog (well over one million cases) and attributes the problem to a lack of education among judges regarding the tools they can use to speed up their work. She intends to introduce changes to both civil and criminal laws to allow even faster processing of cases. EU SCREENING SET FOR FALL -------------- ¶4. (SBU) EU "screening" of Croatian legislation and practice in preparation for the adoption of the Acquis chapters dealing with human rights and the judiciary will begin in September, after a six-month delay that Lovrin assured was technical rather than political (ref C). She said it would be a long, complicated process, but expressed confidence in Croatia's negotiating team, which will include her Deputy Minister Snjezana Bagic. BRADTKE