CROATIAN PERMREP JURICA DISCUSSES KOSOVO, IRAN AND

UNCLAS STATE 018821

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE SIPDIS - ZAGREB FOR BELGRADE

THE FOLLOWING USUN NEW YORK 000170 DTD 22FEB08 SENT ACTION
SECSTATE INFO NATO EU COLLECTIVE UN SECURITY COUNCIL
COLLECTIVE BELGRADE ZAGREB USEU BRUSSLES PRISTINA REPEATED
FOR ACTION 25FEB08


QUOTE:


UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000170

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNSC HR UNMIK GG IR
SUBJECT: CROATIAN PERMREP JURICA DISCUSSES KOSOVO, IRAN AND
GEORGIA



1. (SBU) Croatian Permrep Jurica assured Ambassador Khalilzad
on February 21 that Croatia's positions in the Security
Council will generally be in line with those of the U.S. and
the mainstream of the EU.


2. (SBU) Khalilzad thanked Jurica for Croatia's helpful
statement in the February 18 public meeting on Kosovo and
asked how soon Croatia would be ready to recognize the new
state. Jurica said Kosovo is a difficult issue for Croatia
because of its border with both Serbia and Bosnia's Republika
Srpska, adding that Croatia's Serb minority wants the
Croatian government to be prudent. However, Jurica said
Croatia would recognize Kosovo within one or two weeks.
Khalilzad responded that we hoped Croatia could recognize
Kosovo soon.


3. (SBU) Jurica said Croatia has no difficulties with the
draft resolution on Iran, including the paragraph related to
cargo. He said that his predecessor had not received
permission from Zagreb to join the Security Council's working
group on Georgia as the MFA believed joining both the Balkans
and Georgia groups might complicate relations with Russia.
Jurica said he had convinced the MFA to allow Croatia to join
the Georgia group soon.

KHALILZAD
UNQUOTE: RICE