SLOVENIA'S NEW UN AMBASSADOR PAYS COURTESY CALL ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000060 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/NCE FOR SSADLE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2017 TAGS: OFDP PINR PREL UNGA SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA'S NEW UN AMBASSADOR PAYS COURTESY CALL ON COM Classified By: COM for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) On January 30 Slovenia's newly appointed Ambassador to the United Nations Sanja Stiglic (pronounced SAN-ya SHTEE-glitz) paid a courtesy call on COM before her planned departure for the United States on February 3. Stiglic, a career diplomat, is the fourth Slovenian Ambassador to the United Nations and will replace Ambassador Roman Kirn (currently Director of the MFA's Division of the Americas). This is a return posting to the UN for Ambassador Stiglic; she served at Slovenia's representation to the UN from 1997 to 2002 (extending her four year term to five). Stiglic worked under Slovenia's first and second Ambassadors to the UN (Danilo Turk and Ernest Petric) and was in New York during Slovenia's first stint on the UN Security Council in 1998 and ¶1999. In 2002 Stiglic returned to Slovenia to serve in the Office of the Foreign Minister and most recently as the Head of the Division for Relations with the Countries of Western, Northern, and Central Europe. ¶2. (U) Stiglic was enthusiastic about getting out to post, noting that the next year will be very busy as Slovenia prepares to hold the EU Presidency in 2008. She said that the office will expand from six to 15 diplomats for the Presidency and that they may be forced to move offices due to space concerns. She told COM that talk of moving Slovenia's New York City consulate -- which shares space with Slovenia's UN representation office -- was due to cost concerns, the departure from New York City of many Slovenian businesses and banks, and the need to have representation in key Western and Mid-West cities, such as Chicago. Still, she said she supports keeping the consulate in the city. She also noted that the EU Presidency will offer a very good opportunity to promote Slovenia in the U.S. and around the world. ¶3. (C) COMMENT. Stiglic spoke fondly of the United States and told COM she has a sister, an AMCIT ballet dancer, who has lived in Chicago for over 10 years. Though young for an Ambassador she is experienced and confident, and weathered a particularly stormy period at the MFA several years ago without apparent permanent damage (when Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel was dismissed and briefly replaced by Ivo Vajgl in 2004). Stiglic will strongly advocate for Slovenia to win a seat on the Human Rights Council (HRC) this year (she mentioned this and also inquired about whether the U.S. would be a candidate for the HRC during the meeting with COM). FM Rupel urged COM to meet Stiglic, says he thinks highly of her, and she should have easy and direct access to him when she takes up her new responsibilities. She will be an important resource for us in New York during the EU Presidency. END COMMENT. ¶4. (U) BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. Ambassador Sanja Stiglic was born in Kranj, Slovenia on March 10, 1970 and holds a University Degree in Law from the University of Ljubljana. She joined the Slovenian foreign service in 1995 and began her career as an attach at the Department for Neighboring Countries at the MFA and at the Slovenian Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia. From 1996 to 1997 she worked as an Advisor in the Office of the Foreign Minister. She served at Slovenia's representation to the UN from 1997 to 2002 as Second Secretary and then as First Secretary, and also served as the SIPDIS Alternate Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the UN Security Council in 1998 and 1999. She returned to Slovenia in 2002, serving first as Counselor to the Government and Deputy Head of the Office of the Foreign Minister, and then as State Undersecretary and Head of the Office of the Foreign Minister in 2003 and 2004. Most recently, from 2005 to 2006, she was Head of the Division for Relations with the Countries of Western, Northern, and Central Europe. In addition to Slovenian, she speaks English, German, Spanish, and Croatian. END BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. ROBERTSON