ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - NOVEMBER 28, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 001047 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA OSD FOR WINTERNITZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV HR SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - NOVEMBER 28, 2007 REF: A. ZAGREB 1036 ¶B. ZAGREB 1028 ¶1. (SBU) COALITION NEGOTIATIONS GET UNDERWAY IN EARNEST: After the tight result in Croatia's Nov. 25 elections (REF A),the two major parties -- the ruling HDZ and the opposition SDP -- have begun a series of contacts with the handful of available smaller parties in an effort to attract the eleven or so additional votes needed for either to form a governing coalition of 77 members. HDZ leader Ivo Sanader and SDP leader Zoran Milanovic also met separately with President Mesic on November 27 to discuss coalition possibilities. The State Election Commission has decided it does not need to await the Dec. 9 re-run of voting in three or four small districts where ballots will have to be repeated to produce official preliminary results, since the results in those districts cannot change any of the election outcomes. It provided President Mesic with those results on Nov. 28, confirming the seat totals previously reported. Mesic is now expected to begin consultations with the smaller parties on November 29 or 30. It remains uncertain how soon it will be clear whether the HDZ or the SDP will succeed in forming a government. All eyes continue to be on the 8 seats held by the Peasants' Party/Social Liberal Party group. More details on coalition negotiations will be reported septel. (RHoltzapple) ¶2. (U) DONATION OF POLICE EQUIPMENT FOR FUGITIVE TRACKING AND INFORMANT MANAGEMENT: On November 23, Ambassador Bradtke participated in a FBI-funded donation of computer equipment to Croatian police. The equipment was provided with $30,000 in funds from FBI's SECI regional program and will be allocated to the Police's Criminal Directorate for its future Fugitive Task Force and its Informant Management Program, building on ongoing Post support. Through US Marshals training (REF B) and ICITAP advising, Croatian police formed a temporary "ad hoc" fugitive tracking unit earlier this year to find a notorious narcotics dealer who escaped custody. Police employed their Marshals training and located him within five weeks. That success, along with Post advocacy, prompted the police to begin work on forming a permanent Fugitive Task Force. US Marshals will continue to mentor the unit well into 2008. Post has also been cooperating with the UK Embassy to help police establish an informant management program. Until recently, there was no formal training for handling informants, no formal records for gathered information, nor any policies or procedures on the subject. ICITAP conducted informant management training in 2006 and assisted in developing written protocols for handlers. This assistance was complemented by UK-provided equipment and training, and last week's donation of the FBI-funded computers. Cooperation with the UK will continue early next year, when over 100 informant handlers will be fully trained and equipped. (KSelinger) ¶3. (U) "GLOBESEC EXPRESS" BRINGS NATO ENLARGEMENT MESSAGE TO ZAGREB: As part of the GLOBESEC Express project of the Slovak Atlantic Commission, young leaders from 11 countries in central and southern Europe arrived in Zagreb November 27 on a specially-outfitted train from Bratislava and were welcomed by members of the Croatian Atlantic Council and its youth association. After holding a video teleconference with NATO SGY De Hoop Scheffer during their journey, the youth leaders drafted a communiquQ expressing support for integration of all countries of Southeast Europe into NATO and the EU and calling on the region's leaders to look to the future and cooperate in this effort. Participants then gathered with local political science students and Croatian Atlantic Council members for presentation of the communiquQ and messages of encouragement from the Croatian MFA, NATO IS, and the US and Slovak Embassies. The GLOBSEC project was supported by NATO, the Slovak MFA, and the US and EC missions in Bratislava. (TSelinger) ¶4. (U) SEMINAR ON PORT AUTHORITIES FOSTERS CIV-MIL COOPERATION: Bilateral Affairs Office-Croatia along with the Croatian Navy hosted the seminar "Emergency Operations with Port Authorities" at the Naval Base Lora in Split. This seminar included participants from the Croatian Navy and Air Force, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Traffic and Development and the National Protection and Rescue Directorate. The US Coast Guard presented information regarding Search and Rescue from the international and NATO perspective. Discussions included flight operations, ZAGREB 00001047 002 OF 002 international agreements, as well as use of radar and other communications procedures. The seminar was a great example of the military working with civilian agencies. Coordination with governmental and non-governmental organizations in planning and training for disaster response is very important to maintaining civilian-military cooperation in Croatia. (GScofield) BRADTKE