CROATIA TO INVESTIGATE ATTEMPT TO BROKER TEST

S E C R E T ZAGREB 000762

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE, ISN/MTR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2017
TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC MTCR KSCA GM IR HR
NONPROLIFERATION
SUBJECT: CROATIA TO INVESTIGATE ATTEMPT TO BROKER TEST
CHAMBER SALE TO IRAN

REF: A. STATE 111065

B. BERLIN 01521

C. 06 ZAGREB 1485 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Political Officer Tom Selinger for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
.


1. (U) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST. See para 4.


2. (S) PolOff delivered ref A points to head of MFA Section
for Arms Control and Disarmament Mirko Capjak on August 10
and to Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic on August 13.
Capjak, who serves as MFA's rep on the GoC's
inter-ministerial export control committee, assured PolOff
that Belmet 97 would not receive the necessary import or
export licenses to broker sale of a thermal shock chamber to
Iran. He agreed to work with other members of the committee
to scrutinize any license applications from Belmet 97 and
examine previous applications to check for any patterns of
proliferation activity.


3. (S) In anticipation that Belmet 97 may try to entirely
circumvent the Croatian export licensing process, Post
approached Bajic who agreed to immediately initiate an
investigation in cooperation with the Croatian intelligence
service. This combination of actors has proven effective in
at least one previous case, resulting in the conviction of a
Croatian attempting to sell missile fire control software to
Iran (ref C). The Belmet case may serve to renew
Post-supported push within GoC for improved export control
legislation to introduce harsher penalties for proliferators.


4. (S) ACTION REQUEST: Both Capjak and Bajic requested
release of the name of the German producer of the thermal
shock chamber to assist them in monitoring Belmet 97
activities. Post requests guidance on providing this name to
Croatian authorities.
BRADTKE