AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON PM SANADER

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000847 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2016 TAGS: PREL ETRD PGOV HR EU UP SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON PM SANADER Classified By: Ambassador Robert A. Bradtke for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Croatia is committed to promoting ever stronger Transatlantic cooperation, PM Ivo Sanader told the Ambassador during a July 13 introductory call. Europe and the United States can only succeed when they work together; Sanader emphasized that now, as well as when Croatia is a member of the EU in the future, he will continue to advocate the strongest possible relationship between the EU and the US. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador noted that it was a historic time to be in Croatia; three decades ago it would have been impossible to imagine the security and prosperity Croatians enjoy today. He committed to strongly supporting Croatia,s aspirations to join NATO, and to help educate the Croatian public about the benefits and obligations inherent in NATO membership. That said, the Ambassador continued, the US-Croatia relationship is not limited to security issues; he hoped to help build our bilateral economic relationship, and to look for opportunities to increase educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges as well. ¶3. (C) Sanader noted his strong support for regional cooperation; in 2004 he was the first Croatian prime minister to visit Belgrade; he will return there July 21. He has visited all regional capitals, and will continue to work in support of better relations with Croatia's neighbors. ¶4. (C) Sanader noted that he strongly supported the acquisition of Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva by US-based Barr Laboratories. Barr plans to maintain the Pliva brand, make Zagreb its European headquarters, and expand employment. The Ambassador noted that he thought the Barr/Pliva deal was a great opportunity for Croatia; he encouraged Sanader to ensure the competition for Pliva was fair, open, and transparent, and that the GOC focus on ensuring that any decisions it made on the issue were based primarily in economics, and not politics. Sanader agreed with this sentiment, noting that Barr's offer was clearly superior to that of its Icelandic competitor Actavis. Ukraine -------------- ¶5. (C) Sanader noted that he was traveling to Kiev later in the day to give the keynote speech at an international conference on Ukraine at the request of EU Commission President Barroso. The EU had wanted to send a positive signal to Ukraine about its European prospects, but it did not want the signal to be too strong, he said, so Barroso had decided that the message should be delivered by a candidate country rather than an EU member. ¶6. (C) Sanader said in his address he would speak to Croatia's desire to expand the Central European Free Trade Agreement not just to Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Moldova, but to Ukraine as well. He noted that EU Commissioner Olli Rehn had said it was too early to include Ukraine in such an arrangement, but Sanader noted that the EU itself can't really offer anything similar to the country now. Joining CEFTA, however, would be a concrete gesture for the country. He noted that current CEFTA chair Romania supports including Ukraine. Sanader asked for US support for the initiative as well. ¶7. (C) Sanader expressed his continued interest in an early visit to the White House to meet with President Bush. BRADTKE