ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - NOVEMBER 26, 2008

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000807 SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA OSD FOR POPOVICH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG HR PGOV PREL KGHG SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - NOVEMBER 26, 2008 ¶1. (U) MIT PROFESSOR SPEAKS ON NANOSTRUCTURES, HYDROGEN, AND RENEWABLE ENERGY: As part of an Embassy-organized IIP Speaker program, Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke at the 17th Annual Energy Day Forum in Zagreb on November 21. In her presentation, Dr. Dresselhaus focused on the topic of promoting regional renewable energy research and development. She summarized the key observations of the 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) and shared her own perspectives as a researcher involved in several aspects of the renewable energy field. In the two days prior to the forum, Dr. Dresselhaus gave several seminars and met with academics and the environmental committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia. She and the other academics discussed topics of nanostructures, thermoelectric materials, and the hydrogen economy and identified potential areas for future scientific cooperation. (SLitke) ¶2. (U) MORE ALLIES MOVING FORWARD ON RATIFYING CROATIA'S NATO ACCESSION: On November 24 the MFA reported that it received notification about the decision of the Parliament of Norway to ratify Croatia's NATO accession protocol. The same day, during PM Sanader's visit to the Netherlands, the Dutch government confirmed that Croatia's NATO accession protocol had entered procedure in the Dutch Parliament. (PD'Amico) ¶3. (U) TAKEOVER OF LARGEST US INVESTOR IN CROATIA BY ISRAELI FIRM NEARS COMPLETION: On November 21, shareholders of U.S. Barr Pharmaceuticals approved an acquisition offer from Israel's Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc. Barr is the owner of Croatian Pliva Pharmaceuticals, making it the single largest U.S. investor in Croatia. The Barr-Teva deal will be worth approximately $7.5 billion and should be completed by the end of the year. Pliva has been one of three principal subsidiaries of Barr, which operates in 30 countries and produces more than 1,000 products globally. (DWestfall) Walker