CROATIA: PRIME MINISTER SANADER DISCUSSES EU, ICTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000560 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC HR SUBJECT: CROATIA: PRIME MINISTER SANADER DISCUSSES EU, ICTY WITH AMBASSADOR RICE Classified By: Ambassador Susan Rice for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Prime Minister of Croatia Ivo Sanader told Ambassador Rice on June 1 he is hoping for a positive assessment of Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) from Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, when Brammertz reports to the Security Council on June 4. Sanader would like a positive assessment on ICTY cooperation in order to ensure that there will be no additional delays for Croatia in completing EU negotiations, notwithstanding an outstanding border dispute with Slovenia. Sanader believes Croatia could complete negotiations by the end of 2009, but he feared a negative ICTY assessment would further delay negotiations. He defended Croatia's efforts to find documents requested by Brammertz related to the prosecution of ICTY indictee Ante Gotovina. Ambassador Rice encouraged Sanader to focus his remarks to the Security Council on Croatia's continuing commitment to cooperate with Brammertz and the ICTY. Rice also sought Sanader's support for a strong Security Council resolution that would strengthen the sanctions regime on North Korea, and she updated Sanader on U.S. efforts in the Middle East. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Prime Minister of Croatia Ivo Sanader told Ambassador Rice on June 1, that his current priority as Prime Minister was to complete EU negotiations by the end of 2009, but that his biggest obstacle was resolution of the border dispute with Slovenia. Sanader had met earlier in the day with EU Enlargement Commissioner Ollie Rehn, who had been seeking to find a compromise solution to the border dispute, which Sanader said had led Slovenia to block 13 of 33 chapters of Croatia's EU acquis. Sanader said Slovenia had not yet responded to Rehn's compromise. Sanader believed Croatia should be allowed to join the EU with the border issue unresolved, as Slovenia had done, adding that as an EU member, Croatia "will behave differently toward our neighbors-- we will back them, not block them." ¶3. (C) The Prime Minister said he did not want to resolve or defer the border issue only to be faced with another blockage over the ICTY issue. He recalled that the 2005 start of Croatia's EU accession talks had been blocked for seven months due to then-Chief Prosecutor for ICTY Carla Del Ponte's assessment that Croatia was not making sufficient efforts to capture ICTY indictee, Ante Gotovina, whom Sanader characterized as a "national hero." Sanader was hoping for a positive assessment by ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz in the upcoming June 4 Security Council session. However, he was concerned that Brammertz would be critical of Croatian efforts, due to the government's inability to locate several documents requested by Brammertz to be used in the prosecution of Gotovina. Croatia had unsuccessfully attempted to locate the documents, but Sanader thought the government should not be held accountable by Brammertz for its inability to find them. If Brammertz were to criticize Croatia's cooperation in his report, Sanader said he would have to defend Croatia's efforts. Sanader said Croatia is doing its utmost to find the documents requested by Brammertz, but there was nothing he could do about it if they had disappeared. "If we cannot find them, we cannot find them," he said. "The government cannot be blamed." ¶4. (C) Ambassador Rice encouraged Sanader to focus his Council remarks on reaffirming Croatia's commitment to cooperate fully with the ICTY. A strong statement from Sanader about Croatia's readiness to do everything necessary to cooperate, she said, would be well received by the Council. Sanader assured Ambassador Rice that Croatia would do whatever it could to assist the ICTY. ¶5. (C) Ambassador Rice sought support from the Prime Minister for a draft resolution being negotiated among the U.S., U.K. Russia, France, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (P5 2) that would strengthen the existing sanctions regime against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The draft resolution, which Rice hoped would be shared soon with the wider Council, would impose financial restrictions on the sources of funds going into the DPRK, and would also enhance the ability to interdict and inspect cargo. Rice said the P5 2 wanted to send a strong message to the DPRK that it would pay a price for its irresponsible actions. Some colleagues, she said, were concerned that a strong interdiction regime could encourage the DPRK to engage in further irrational behavior. Rice said the P5 2 was trying to find the right balance in the text, and the Prime Minister assured her that Croatia would support the text. ¶6. (C) Prime Minister Sanader inquired about the recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama. Ambassador Rice said the President stressed USUN NEW Y 00000560 002 OF 002 with Netanyahu that a two-state solution was urgent and important and in the national interest of Israel and the United States; and that both sides in the conflict have obligations to fulfill if there is to be meaningful progress. Israel's obligations include a halt to all settlement activity. Rice said President Obama had met also with President Abbas and had emphasized responsibilities of the Palestinian side. Rice also said that President Obama would be in Cairo later in the week, and would see both President Mubarek and Saudi King Abdullah during his trip. Obama would deliver a speech in Cairo that urges the Muslim world to focus on what unites us, rather than on what divides us. RICE