CROATIA PREFERS JOINT BULGARIAN/HUNGARIAN/CROATIAN

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000545 SENSITIVE SIPDIS PASS TO EUR/SCE, L/EUR AND L/UNA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC HR PREL ICJ KV SUBJECT: CROATIA PREFERS JOINT BULGARIAN/HUNGARIAN/CROATIAN SUBMISSION OF ORAL BRIEF ON KOSOVO AT ICJ REF: ZAGREB 543 ¶1. (SBU) While reftel reports that Croatia was inclined to provide an oral briefing at the ICJ on Kosovo's independence, MFA State Secretary Davor Bozinovic informed charge this morning that Croatia would now prefer to undertake this oral argument jointly with Bulgaria and Hungary. Bozinovic explained that a joint approach would make it easier for Croatia to sell its decision to its partners in the region. Having initiated this idea, Bozinovic said, the Bulgarians are fully on board. However, according to Bozinovic, the Hungarians have said that they don't want to provide an oral argument on Kosovo either jointly or independently because they don't want to expend any political capital on the issue. Bozinovic asked whether Washington would be willing to ask the Hungarians to reconsider their stance. Bozinovic noted that Foreign Minister Jandrokovic and the Hungarian FoMin are scheduled to meet on September 9 to discuss this issue further. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: From post's perspective, a demarche on the Hungarians to agree to a joint submission might help to move this process forward. For the record, Bozinovic was unable to provide a straight answer when asked whether Hungary's refusal to participate in a joint oral argument would mean that Croatia would walk back its stated inclination to present this brief. End Comment. WALKER