ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - MARCH 26, 2009

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000174

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SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - MARCH 26, 2009


1. (U) MOVING TOWARD QUALIFICATION FOR VISA WAIVER PROGRAM:
From March 18-20, representatives CA/P/IP, L/CA and TSC
visited Zagreb to begin negotiations on an arrangement to
share terrorist screening information under HSPD-6. The
negotiating team met with representatives from the Croatian
Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior as well as
officers of the Croatian security services. Croatian
government representatives were well-prepared and the sides
were able to quickly come to agreement. The final
arrangement is expected to be signed soon after it is
confirmed by the respective governments. Completion of an
information sharing arrangement under HSPD-6, required for
participation in the Visa Waiver Program, will bring Croatia
one step closer to its goal of qualifying for inclusion in
this program. (RElvikis)


2. (U) BANDIC STILL LEADING POLLS DESPITE ANOTHER SCANDAL:
Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic would receive about 30% of the
first round vote according to a telephone poll of 500 hundred
people in mid-March published by the political weekly Globus.
Newly announced independent candidate Josip Kregar,
well-respected anti-corruption hawk and Dean of the Law
Faculty at Zagreb University, was in second place with about
11% of the vote. All other candidates including Jasen Mesic
of the Croatian Democratic Union and Radimir Cacic of the
Croatian Peoples Party polled below 10 percent (reftel ZAGREB
00120). The poll predicts turnout would be slightly above
50% and that around 28% of voters are still undecided about
whom to support. Kregar and others are trying to portray a
vote against Bandic as a vote against corruption in the city.
Meanwhile the mayor * who we still expect to win * is
defending himself against more accusations of corruption.
Bandic detractors claim the city paid a grossly inflated
amount of around $300,000 for two public toilets installed
near the main square, which benefited a company owned by a
close friend of the mayor. (DMeges)


3. (U) 2008 WAR CRIMES MONITORING REPORT RELEASED:
A team of three NGOs monitoring war crimes trials in Croatia
organized a conference to present their 2008 monitoring
report. More than 100 people attended the conference,
including President Mesic, the Justice Minister, the
presidents of the Supreme Court and the largest County
Courts, and representatives from ICTY, OSCE, EU, and other
foreign missions. The report highlighted the group's main
findings, concerns and recommendations. All of the
high-level Croatian representatives, including President
Mesic, agreed that war crimes should be prosecuted regardless
of the ethnicity of perpetrators, the revision of all open
and in absentia convictions should continue, strong
cooperation with the ICTY should be encouraged. The Croatian
leadership showed a firm commitment and willingness to
continue cooperation with civil society members dealing with
trial monitoring. (DBolsec/VDjukic)


4. (U) CROATIA IMPLEMENTS NEW HEALTH REFORMS:
Minister of Health Milinovic delivered an enthusiastic brief
to the media on Tuesday in which he reported on results from
the newly implemented health reforms. As the principal
author of the reform, the Minister was quick to boast about
profits that the reform has brought to the health system in
just three months of implementation. Some of the most
substantial measures include a greater percentage of
contributions from pension and obligatory car insurance,
newly introduced co-pays for health service and supplemental
health insurance. The total profits realized in terms of
these measures is 1.3 billion HRK (approx. $237 million).
The Minister also spoke of other measures that have helped
the Ministry of Health realize profits and savings for the
health system and have stopped, for now, the trend of
generating new debt within the health system. (DMatijas)
BRADTKE