ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - JANUARY 22, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000037

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SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - JANUARY 22, 2009


1. (U) EMBASSY HOSTS INAUGURATION RECEPTION AT AMERICAN
CORNER ZAGREB:
Embassy Zagreb hosted an inauguration event January 20 at the
American Corner located at a downtown Zagreb library. The
reception targeted young Croatian academic, business and
politicla leaders to give them the opportunity to see live
inauguration coverage of President-elect Barack Obama
including his swearing in, inaugural address and other
program events. Other Croatian library patrons including
university students were also able to watch the inauguration
on televisions provided by the Embassy. Approximately 75
Croatians, including guests from political parties, NGOs,
government ministries, think-tanks, journalists, and previous
Fulbright, Ron Brown, and Ben Franklin fellows attended the
event. The event was covered by the national Hrvatska Radio
Televizija (HRT) station as well as on radio and in the major
daily newspapers. Ambassador Robert Bradtke gave interviews
to the press after the inaugural address. The event gave
young political, social, and economic Croatian leaders a
chance to witness the beginning of the Obama administration
and emphasized the continuing partnership between U.S. and
Croatia under the new administration. (TBullock)


2. (U) CROATIAN MEDIA OPTIMISTIC ABOUT U.S. - CROATIA TRAVEL
SECURITY DECLARATION:
The January 19 signing in D.C. of a Croatia - U.S.
Declaration on Travel Security received positive media
coverage in Croatia, ranging from optimism to moderation on
Croatia's prospects for joining the visa waiver program.
Croatian national newspapers Slobodna Dalmacija and Vjesnik
carried optimistic articles predicting Croatia would qualify
for the visa waiver program in 18 months. Rijeka-based Novi
List factually reported that the declaration was an agreement
to improve travel security between the two countries which
would benefit Croatia's progress towards the visa waiver
program. Media coverage of the declaration helped to clarify
for the Croatian public and government officials the steps
necessary for membership in the VWP. (TBullock)


3. (U) PRESIDENT MESIC CRITICIZES CROATIA'S PERMREP TO THE
UN FOR ANGERING LIBYA:
President Mesic, during a radio interview on January 19,
blamed Croatian UN PermRep Neven Jurica
for Libya's rebuff of Croatia's request for Libyan natural
gas shipments during the recent gas
crisis. While press reports said Libya rejected Croatia's
offer to purchase gas because it had
no supplies available, according to Mesic, Libya's leader,
Muammar al -Qaddafi, is still angry at
Croatia for Jurica's walkout from an April 2008 Security
Council session in response to remarks
by the Libyan PermRep comparing the situation in the Gaza
Strip with the Nazi Holocaust. In his
comment, Mesic did not mention that Jurica was joined in the
walkout by the representatives
of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and
Costa Rica. Despite press speculation,
Mesic has not taken any steps to try and get the government
to remove Jurica from his post,
but publicly emphasized that he had scolded Jurica for his
actions and reminded him that it was
because of the support of non-aligned countries, such as
Libya, that Croatia was on Security
Council. (DMeges)


4. (U) COALITIONS TAKE SHAPE IN OSIJEK MAYOR RACE:
The Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) announced on January 14
that it would partner with the
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) for May 2009 local elections
in the eastern city of Osijek,
where right-wing parties are more influential than perhaps
anywhere else in Croatia. This
alliance with the HDZ comes only days after the HSP's current
coalition partners, the
Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian Peoples Party
(HNS),refused to support Djapic's
candidacy for mayorship of Osijek, due to a corruption
scandal over some of Djapic's real estate
deals. The deal with the HDZ will require the HSP to support
HDZ's candidate for county prefect
in the Osijek region, and to support the HDZ's candidates for
mayor and county prefect in many
other races across the country. Centrist and center-left
parties such as the SDP and the
Croatian Social Liberal party will likely run their own
candidates. As will the far-right
Croatian Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja (HDSSB),

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with indicted war criminal
Branimir Glavas heading the list for mayor and city council
and incumbent county prefect
Kresimir Bubalo as a candidate for re-election to that
office. (DMeges)
BRADTKE