ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - OCTOBER 23, 2008

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ZAGREB 000739 SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA OSD FOR POPOVICH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON PHUM KPAO HR SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - OCTOBER 23, 2008 ¶1. (U) FIFTH, SIXTH (AND SEVENTH?) NATO ALLIES APPROVE ACCESSION PROTOCOL: The parliaments in Poland and Romania approved NATO Accession Protocols for Croatia and Albania on October 21. The votes made them the fifth and sixth NATO member states to approve the Protocols. Croatian Parliament President Luka Bebic is in Sofia on October 23, where the Bulgarian Parliament is expected to give its assent to the Protocols today. (PD'Amico) ¶2. (U) CROATIA HOSTS GLOBAL EXPORT CONTROL AND BORDER SECURITY CONFERENCE: Croatia hosted the "9th International Export Control Conference" in Cavtat 20 - 22 October 2008. The conference was co-sponsored by the U.S. Export Control and Related Border Security Program. GoC and U.S. representatives welcomed over 200 participants and speakers drawn from 65 countries to the event addressing the latest trends and challenges facing export control and border security practitioners. Cable to follow. (CRhoton) ¶3. (U) TWO CROATIAN COLONELS INDICTED FOR WAR CRIMES: The District Attorney in Bjelovar filed indictments this week against Colonel Ivan Husnjak and retired Colonel Goran Sokol for crimes against civilians. The two, among the highest ranking officers from the Croatian forces to be charged for any crimes during the "Homeland War", are charged with command responsibility for failing to prevent their subordinates from perpetrating crimes during the fighting. Following the liberation of the Orahovica area in Slavonia in December 1991, Colonel Ivan Husnjak issued an order on January 31, 1992 for the "clearing" of terrain in the villages of Pusine and Slatinski Drenovac, after which several Serb homes were set on fire. (CZimmer) ¶4. (U) GOVERNMENT HOLDS CONFERENCE AND INFORMATION FAIR ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: On Friday, October 17, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Croatian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and European Integration organized a one day conference entitled "The Role of Diplomatic Personnel in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings." The results of a joint capacity building project between IOM and the ministry were presented at the conference. The project trained 17 diplomatic and consular staff who further trained 60 colleagues on issues related to trafficking in persons. Additionally, the project produced information brochures in 5 different languages designed to help assist foreigners, visa seekers, Croatian travelers and potential TIP victims. The project also produced a handbook and curriculum for Croatia's Diplomatic Academy for further education on TIP issues. In addition to representatives from the diplomatic community, high level officials from the Croatian government, including the Minister of Justice and the State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were in attendance and stressed that a strong political will exists in Croatia to fight TIP. Friday's conference was followed by an outdoor information fair held in the heart of Zagreb on Saturday, October 18 to mark EU Anti-Trafficking Day. Organized by the Government's Human Rights Office and related NGOs, the event aimed to raise public awareness about the threat of TIP. Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and head of the national committee on the prevention of trafficking in humans, Jadranka Kosor, was present and spoke of the problems Croatia faces regarding TIP. In addition to information booths and informative leaflets there were also music and dance performances. (VDjukic/JNCallahan) ¶5. (U) SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HOLOCAUST ISSUES VISITS CROATIA: Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Christian Kennedy, visited Zagreb from October 17-20 and met with representatives from the local Jewish communities, State Secretary Drazen Bosnjakovic at the Ministry of Justice, and the Minister of Culture, Bozo Biskupic. Ambassador Kennedy reminded the government of its obligation to resolve outstanding restitution claims for Jewish property and assets from World War II and the communist era. He also stressed the importance of maintaining Jewish gravesites and advocated the quick construction of a Jewish synagogue in Zagreb. Cable to follow. (JNCallahan) ZAGREB 00000739 002 OF 003 ¶6. (U) GOC PRESENTS SEVENTH AND FINAL NATO MEMBERSHIP ACTION PLAN (MAP) PROGRAM: On October 16, officials from the MFA and MOD presented Croatia's Annual National Program for implementing its MAP for 2008/2009 to NATO's Senior Political Committee. MFA officials told post their presentation of Croatia's seventh and final MAP cycle went well. In a press statement, the MFA noted that NATO Allies had welcomed Croatia's level of readiness to participate in Alliance activities, and had confirmed that Croatia contributes to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region. (PD'Amico) ¶7. (U) EUR/SCE DESK OFFICER VISITS ZAGREB: New Croatia desk officer Cathy Westley visited Croatia from October 13-18 for an orientation visit. The visit included a trip to the Slavonian cities of Osijek and Vukovar to discuss progress in that region on post-war reconstruction and ethnic reconciliation, and a set of meetings in Zagreb covering the range of issues on our bilateral agenda. Top priorities expressed by the Croatian officials were completing the NATO accession process, strengthening economic ties, and moving toward qualification for the Visa Waiver Program. (RHoltzapple) ¶8. (U) U.S. OLYMPIC TAEKWONDO STARS CONDUCT CLINICS AND MEET WITH STUDENTS: Steven Lopez, a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic gold medalist and his brother, Jean Lopez, the U.S. National and Olympic Taekwondo coach, visited Zagreb, October 9-14, 2008. During their visit, the Lopez brothers conducted training for over 120 taekwondo students from Croatia and neighboring countries, including the Croatian national team. Having earned two of Croatia's Olympic medals in Beijing, the Croatian team has recently received considerable public attention. In addition to conducting clinics, the Lopez brothers met with high-school students in Zagreb and the city of Krapina. Both Jean and Stephen Lopez inspired their audiences, emphasizing that hard work, commitment, responsibility and respect were the keys to their success and encouraging students to pursue their dreams. The Lopez brothers also talked about the sacrifices they made to achieve the American dream and about their siblings, Mark and Diana, who won silver and bronze medals respectively in Taekwondo at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. The Lopez brothers held a press conference at the Drazen Petrovic Museum which generated both television and print coverage of the visit. (KWetzel) ¶9. (U) CROATIAN PARLIAMENT BANS SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES: On October 17, the Croatian parliament passed a law banning smoking in most public places, including offices, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, schools and health care facilities. Schools and health care facilities must implement the ban later this month, after the law is published in the National Gazette, while the law gives other institutions a six-month grace period. Only psychiatric clinics are exempt from the ban. The law also requires cigarette packets to display a warning about the harmful effects of smoking and bans the direct and indirect promotion of tobacco products. According to surveys, about 30 percent of Croatians are smokers. The Ministry of Health reports that about 10,000 Croatians die annually from smoking, and another 3000-4000 because of second-hand smoke. (SLitke) ¶10. (U) DHS REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT CTPAT PROGRAM TO CROATIAN EXPORTERS: The embassy and Croatian Chamber of Economy hosted two U.S. Customs and Border Protection supply chain security specialists for a presentation on the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program, on Oct. 20. Approximately two dozen Croatian exporters and government representatives attended the program, which also included a short presentation introducing DHS and its dual mission of protecting borders and facilitating trade. Private sector companies in attendance included: a steel manufacturer, a bottled water exporter, a producer of boating equipment, an international freight forwarder, and a producer of photographic equipment and materials, among others. U.S. importers who are part of the program receive reduced inspections at the border if they can show that their international suppliers meet various security criteria including: adequate physical security procedures for facilities and ZAGREB 00000739 003 OF 003 shipments, proper employee identification procedures, and regular training of personnel on security. (DWestfall) Bradtke