ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - APRIL 30, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000232 SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA OSD FOR POPOVICH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KFLU MARR MASS KPAO HR SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - APRIL 30, 2009 ¶1. (U) WORK STARTS ON CROATIAN SUPPORTED CIVILIAN ASSISTANCE PROJECT IN AFGHANISTAN: On April 26 Croatian civilians serving in the PRT working with the government of Afghanistan and local officials in the Feyzabad district of Badakhshan province took part in a ground breaking ceremony for a health center. The government of Croatia funded the project in cooperation with IOM and it is expected to last about 24 weeks. The MFA noted in a statement that this project was part of Croatia's long-term support of Afghanistan, which also included its participation in ISAF and EUPOL. (PD'Amico) ¶2. (U) AMBASSADOR BRADTKE ADDRESSES PARLIAMENTARY CONFLICT OF INTEREST COMMITTEE: Ambassador Bradtke and European Commission Chief of Delegation Vincent Degert spoke to the members of the Parliamentary Committee for Suppression of Conflict of Interest on April 27. The visit came at the urging of Antun Zorislav Petrovic, the Head of Transparency International's Office in Croatia and a member of the committee. Since the committee is a newly established body, which began operations in October 2008, Petrovic invited Bradtke and Degert to share US and EU experiences, models, and best practices with regard to ethic rules. (VDjukic/CZimmer) ¶3. KOSOVO'S SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT VISITS ZAGREB: Jakup Krasniqi, Kosovo's Speaker of Parliament, met with President Mesic on April 29 and discussed relations between the two countries. During the meeting, Mesic repeated the reasons why Croatia recognized Kosovo's independence and expressed the belief that relations between the two countries would continue to strengthen. Krasniqi discussed the current situation in Kosovo and noted that Pristina's goal was to build a state where all citizens would be equal. In a separate meeting with his Croatian counterpart, Luka Bebic, the two discussed bilateral issues, challenges confronting the region, as well as problems both countries were experiencing on the path to the EU. Bebic noted that Croatia would assist others in the region on the process of European integration with "good will and good intentions" and that Zagreb wanted to help stabilize Kosovo. During Krasniqi's meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, both sides stated relations between Croatia and Kosovo were excellent but that economic relations should be strengthened. Krasniqi thanked Croatia for its support and expressed satisfaction with the current cooperation. (PD'Amico) ¶4. (U) MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HIGHLIGHTS ONGOING JUDICIAL REFORMS: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on April 28 presented a list of current and planned judicial reform projects to the representatives of embassies and international organizations in Croatia. The projects total EUR 42 million and are aimed at insuring the independence and efficiency of the judiciary. The MOJ called upon the International Community to provide assistance, either by funding the projects or by providing experts, but did not announce how much the Croatian Government will contribute to the efforts. The projects target capacity building, shortening the length of court proceedings, reducing backlogs, improving the criminal justice system, improving the prison system, improving the system for selection and education of judicial professionals, and expanding access to justice for all citizens. (VDjukic/CZimmer) ¶5. (U) AMBASSADOR BRADTKE FEATURED ON CALL IN RADIO PROGRAM: Ambassador Bradtke was the featured guest on Radio 101's Corps Diplomatique, a weekly international affairs program hosted by one of Croatia's most renowned journalists. In a wide-ranging interview covering the latest in U.S., European and Croatian news, the Ambassador discussed Croatia's full membership in NATO, U.S. foreign policy, and the first 100 days of the Obama Administration. The Ambassador also took live calls from the public during the one hour program. (KWetzel) ¶6. (U)ZAGREB HOSTS ANTI-DISCRIMINATION CONFERENCE: The International Organization for Migration (IOM), Croatian Judicial Academy, and the Croatian Law Center organized a conference on anti-discrimination measures on April 27 that gathered Croatian prosecutors, ombudsmen, foreign Embassies, international organizations, defense attorneys, judges, and media representatives. Participants largely agreed that Croatia has accepted all important international agreements and has enhanced domestic ZAGREB 00000232 002 OF 002 legislation regarding the suppression of all forms of discrimination. Croatia also enacted a special law on the Suppression of Discrimination which became effective as of January 2009. However, the number of final convictions under the law is still low, which indicates that domestic legal practitioners have problems recognizing what constitutes discrimination. Several decisions of the Croatian Constitutional and Supreme Courts as well as decisions of the European Court for Human Rights and European Court of Justice were presented as positive examples in recognizing discrimination. To ensure that domestic legislation is implemented and international standards on suppression of discrimination are followed, however, requires more training for judges, prosecutors, members of relevant state institutions, and civil society groups, according to participants. (VDjukic/CZimmer) ¶7. (U) U.S. EMBASSY ZAGREB ENGAGES AUDIENCE WITH A NEW OUTREACH TOOL - TED TALK EVENT: The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Zagreb launched a new initiative under its Embassy Outreach Program -- monthly TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks events. The first event took place in the American Corner Zagreb on April 27, with the TED Talks video featuring Jonathan Haidt on "The Real Difference Between Liberals and Conservatives." Participants from different fields engaged in a lively and open discussion on the five moral values forming the basis of our political views and how individuals see and evaluate them on the basis of their own political stand point. This new PAS Zagreb outreach event drew strong interest among Croatia's young professionals, an audience that the Embassy often finds hard to reach, and was covered in the press. (MCrnjakovic) ¶8. (U) GOC PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE SWINE FLU OUTBREAK, BUT NO CONFIRMED CASES SO FAR: The prime minister and other officials have made statements to assure the public Croatia is prepared for a possible swine flu outbreak. Croatia has 600,000 doses of anti-viral drugs, and the GOC planned to secure 200,000 more doses. Despite at least one suspicious case, no cases have been confirmed thus far. The health minister said any additional suspicious cases would be quarantined at a designated clinic in Zagreb for diagnosis. In a negative development, the GOC issued an ordinance banning importation of live pigs and certain pork and swine-related products from North and South America. (SLitke) BRADTKE