SLOVENIAN PARLIAMENT OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVES NATO

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000032 SIPDIS EUR/RPM FOR DMITRY VOVCHUK AND KRISTIN CALSON, L/T FOR FRANK HOLLERAN, EUR/CE, EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2018 TAGS: PREL MARR NATO HR SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIAN PARLIAMENT OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVES NATO ACCESSION FOR CROATIA AND ALBANIA REF: A. STATE 7128 ¶B. LJUBLJANA 24 ¶C. LJUBLJANA 28 Classified By: CDA Brad Freden, Reasons, 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (U) Slovenia's 90-seat National Assembly voted 75-11 on February 9 to approve Croatia's NATO accession protocol. The vote followed a brief debate, during which all representatives of the People's Party (SLS) and the Nationalists' Party (SNS, headed by Jelencic) spoke out and subsequently voted against ratification. Earlier in the afternoon, the National Assembly voted unanimously (78-0) in favor of Albania's accession to NATO. Comment -------------- ¶2. (C) The overwhelming "yes" vote minimizes the likelihood of a referendum, although the leader of the People's Party has threatened to call for one. If all goes as expected, Slovenia should be able to deposit its instruments of ratification in Washington by the end of the month. The vote is a personal victory for Prime Minister Borut Pahor, who, after some initial skittishness, threw his full, public support behind Croatia's membership in the Alliance. The PM's advisors have told us that Pahor hopes the NATO vote will improve significantly the atmosphere surrounding bilateral discussions of Croatia's EU accession, and that the PM hopes Croatia will make a reciprocal gesture of conciliation in the coming days. FREDEN