CHARGE EXPRESSES DISMAY AT CROATIAN PRESIDENT'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000990 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE, WHA/CCA E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2016 TAGS: PREL NAM UNSC HR CU SUBJECT: CHARGE EXPRESSES DISMAY AT CROATIAN PRESIDENT'S PLANNED TRIP TO HAVANA FOR THE NAM SUMMIT REF: ZAGREB 753 Classified By: CDA Greg Delawie for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Charge called August 21 on Josko Klisovic, new chief of cabinet to FM Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, to express dismay with President Mesic's planned trip to Cuba for the Non-Aligned Movement Summit (reftel) as well as the President's characterization in the press August 18 that the USG did not object to his trip. Klisovic noted that he understood Charge's message; that despite the President's interest in attending the NAM Summit Croatia's commitment to joining NATO has never been stronger; and that Prime Minister Sanader had already called the President to discuss the issue. End summary. ¶2. (C) Comment: Stjepan Mesic, the last president of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, is the constitutional co-creator of Croatian foreign policy together with Prime Minister Sanader. Mesic, although a committed democrat and human rights advocate, is nostalgic for the days of the NAM. He is in constant low-intensity conflict with the efforts of PM Sanader, who has staked his political future on Croatia's complete integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. End comment. ¶3. (U) On August 18 President Mesic was quoted in national daily Jutarnji List as stating that the USG did not officially object to his planned visit to the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Havana next month. ¶4. (C) Charge immediately called Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Tomislav Jakic to remind him that in meetings with Presidential Foreign Policy advisor Budimir Loncar both former Ambassador Frank in June and current Ambassador Bradtke in July had cautioned in very strong terms against a Mesic visit to Cuba. Jakic said both he and the President understood US views about the Havana trip. He could not explain why the President had raised the issue publicly in such a fashion. Charge repeated that a head of state visit to Cuba would be a very bad idea. ¶5. (C) During his August 21 call on MFA Chief of Cabinet Klisovic, Charge noted that the President's statement had caused us considerable consternation. Charge noted: he was puzzled that the head of state of a country that aspires to join both NATO and the EU would be attending the NAM Summit, even as an "observer;" any visit to Cuba by a European head of state will be used by the Communist regime for propaganda purposes to endorse its continued policies of repression; a Cuba visit was particularly puzzling for a champion of human rights such as President Mesic, especially given Croatia's historic efforts to cast off exactly the sort of regime under which the Cuban people now suffer; and finally, that he doubted that any of Croatia's EU partner states would be represented at the NAM at the senior political level. ¶6. (C) Furthermore, Charge noted that two US Ambassadors had told the President's office exactly what we thought of his plans, so we were particularly upset that he publicly mischaracterized USG views on the trip. He added that the Embassy had chosen not to respond publicly to the President's statements in order to keep the public temperature from rising on the issue; nevertheless Ambassador Bradtke was seeking an appointment with President Mesic immediately upon his return to post (NB: week of August 28) to make our objections clear in person. ¶7. (C) Klisovic responded that he understood our concerns. He noted that President Mesic had stated that he wanted to attend the NAM Summit in order to lobby attendees as part of Croatia's effort to gain a non-permanent seat on the UNSC; it was merely a coincidence that the meeting would take place in Cuba. He reminded Charge that the President was an independent actor under the Croatian constitution with a role in foreign policy co-equal to that of the Prime Minister, and that he and the Prime Minister did not always agree. ¶8. (C) Prime Minister Sanader had already spoken to President Mesic about this issue, Klisovic added, although he was not yet aware of any outcome of that discussion. Furthermore, we should not assume that Croatia's commitment to NATO had weakened in any way; in fact, it had never been stronger. Even President Mesic is now speaking to general audiences about the benefits and responsibilities of NATO membership, he said, whereas in the past Mesic had only raised the issue with militarily-oriented audiences. ZAGREB 00000990 002 OF 002 ¶9. (C) Charge also had a brief telephone conversation August 21 with MFA State Secretary Hidajet Biscevic along the same lines. DELAWIE