READ-OUT OF MESIC - AHMADINEJAD UNGA MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000920

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR ISN, T, EUR AND NEA
PLEASE PASS TREASURY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2017
TAGS: PREL KNNP IR HR
SUBJECT: READ-OUT OF MESIC - AHMADINEJAD UNGA MEETING

REF: A. BALIAN-BRADTKE 9/26/07 EMAIL

B. ZAGREB 876

C. STATE 132302

D. ZAGREB 850

Classified By: DCM Vivian Walker, Reasons 1.4 B/D

(C) In an October 4 meeting with the DCM and visiting EUR/SCE
Director Hoh, Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Tomislav
Jakic provided a read-out of Croatian President Mesic's
September 25 meeting with Iranian President Ahmadinejad on
the margins of the UNGA in New York. Jakic once again (REFs
B and D) stressed that the request for the meeting was an
Iranian initiative. He said Mesic achieved all three of his
objectives for the meeting, which were: i) to express
Croatian interest in increased economic cooperation with
Iran; ii) to note Croatia's belief that every country has the
right to pursue nuclear energy, but only with full
transparency and in full cooperation with international
regimes and obligations; and iii) to stress that it was
impossible to deny historical facts such as the Holocaust or
to question the right to existence of an internationally
recognized UN member state such as Israel. Jakic said that
Ahmadinejad, who began the meeting with a broad smile, was
sigificantly more subdued at the conclusion of the meeting,
which he ended with the invitation "to discuss these issues
further in Tehran." Jakic said Mesic had "accepted" the
invitation, and looked forward to going, but only, as the
Presidency's press release after the meeting had put it,
"when all the proper conditions for such a visit would exist."
BRADTKE