CROATIAN RESPONSE ON IAEA POINTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000827

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE BALIAN, IO/T VON BEHREN, ISN/RA NEPHEW AND
KESSLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2017
TAGS: KNNP MNUC IR IAEA AORC HR PREL
SUBJECT: CROATIAN RESPONSE ON IAEA POINTS

REF: A. STATE 123352

B. STATE 124823

C. HOLTZAPPLE-KESSLER 9/7/07 TELCON

Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF RICK HOLTZAPPLE, Reasons 1.4 B/D


1. (C) SUMMARY: As both FM and Ambassador were traveling on
September 7, P/E Chief presented reftel A and B points to
Assistant Foreign Minister Pjer Simunovic and Croatia's IAEA
Governor Mario Horvatic. Croatia supports the US position on
the IAEA Action Plan, but does not plan to speak at the BOG,
as the EU position will include Croatia's support. Croatia
has already delivered its position that UNSCR obligations
must also be fulfilled directly to an Iranian envoy who
visited Croatia on September 6. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) As reported in REF C, Horvatic said that he was
"reassured" to hear the USG points, as he had feared that we
would view the IAEA Action Plan as "worthless." He said the
Croatian position was also to view the Action Plan as a
potentially positive contribution to the issue, although the
timeline for implementation remained a major question.
Horvatic added that Croatia strongly supports the position
that the IAEA Action Plan is "not enough" It does not cover
all of Iran's international obligations, and Iran must meet
its obligations under the UNSC Resolutions as well. Horvatic
clearly understood the obligations Iran has under the UNSCRs
that are not covered in the IAEA Action Plan, listing several
of them from memory. Horvatic commented that it seemed
unlikely the Iranians would cease enrichment activities, and
that a third sanctions resolution would therefore likely
result, although he was curious to know what the US thought
would be the timeline for such a resolution.


3. (C) Horvatic said he had been briefed by a UK
representative on the same issue earlier in the day. The
Croatians understood that the EU statement at the IAEA BOG
meeting would make these same points. Therefore, Horvatic
said, Croatia would not be making a separate statement at the
IAEA meeting, but would align itself with the EU statement.
He said that Croatia's "silent support" should not be
interpreted as any weakness in Croatia's stance, but merely
reflect the fact that, as an EU candidate, Croatia agreed to
let the EU Presidency representative speak on Croatia's
behalf.


4. (C) Horvatic also commented on the September 6 visit by
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the Chair of the Majlis' Foreign Policy
and National Security Committee, to Zagreb. Boroujerdi met
in separate sessions with President Mesic and with MFA
officials, including Simunovic and Horvatic. Horvatic
reported that Boroujerdi was pushing the line that the IAEA
Action Plan was as much as Iran could do. In both meetings,
Simunovic said, the Croatians made their position clear. "As
a country that has friendly relations with Iran," Horvatic
noted, "we were able to give them some friendly advice": that
Iran must also fulfill the requirements of the UNSCRs.
Boroujerdi's response was that, if a third sanctions
resolution was enacted, then Iran would refuse to undertake
even the actions in the IAEA Action Plan, and "Iran would
just have to continue on our way alone."
BRADTKE