ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT-OCTOBER 8, 2009

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000612 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MASS PREF HR SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT-OCTOBER 8, 2009 1.(U) AMBASSADOR HOSTS AMCHAM BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Executive Director and AmCham board in Zagreb joined Ambassador Foley at his residence 7 October for a detailed discussion of Croatia's business climate and the challenges faced by foreign investors. The participants described an oversized and inefficient bureaucracy as Croatia's central problem affecting the investment climate. According to the guests, this results in some of the highest taxes in Europe, and makes room for patronage and corruption as individuals attempt to circumvent the bureaucratic roadblocks placed before them. The Ambassador asked the participants to think concretely about reforms that could be suggested to the GoC. He also promised to work closely with AmCham during his tenure to help the government improve the business climate. He concluded by saying that Croatia has remarkable advantages in human capital and natural resources that could be the foundation for lasting prosperity if the country's problems can be effectively addressed. (DWestfall) ¶2. (U) TRAINING FOR CROATIAN STATE PROSECUTORS ON CROSS EXAMINATION TECHNIQUES: Embassy Zagreb is hosting cross-examination seminars for Croatian prosecutors and judges. The first week-long course has 29 participants (28 state prosecutors and one judge) and the second week will have 21 participants (17 prosecutors and four judges). ICITAP trainers, William K. DelGrosso, Sarajevo Law Enforcement Legal Adviser and Jonathan Ferrari, Sarajevo Police Adviser are providing a condensed, yet in-depth course, for the two groups. Croatian prosecutors requested the training after changes to the legal code allowed for cross-examinations as of July 2009. The seminar addresses the purpose and goals of cross examination, techniques, and differences between direct and cross examinations. The course addresses all aspects of the cross-examination process, and deals with subjects such as case preparation, courtroom presentation, witness preparation, tactics and other important aspects of the Croatian legal system. Mock courtroom simulations are incorporated in the training to allow participants to obtain practical experience in this discipline. (CZimmer) ¶3. (U) U.S. DIPLOMATS ADDRESS ETHNIC RECONCILIATION CHALLENGES DURING TRIP TO EASTERN CROATIA: DCM Walker and Entry Level Personnel (ELPs) addressed the challenges of reconciliation among ethnically divided communities during a October 2 trip to war affected eastern Croatia. U.S. Mission personnel conducted a field visit to an integrated Croat, Serb and Roma rural elementary school in Jagodnjak, near Vukovar, whose families were displaced during the war. DCM Walker presented a donation of musical instruments for 85 students funded through an ELP sponsored grant from the J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust at the school. The embassy visitors also joined in a basketball game with Jagodnjak students. The group then visited the Coalition for Work, Psychotrauma and Peace (CWPP) in Vukovar, an NGO specializing in training and treatment of issues related to psychological trauma in war torn areas and ethnic reconciliation. The CWPP briefed them on the current political, social and economic challenges preventing greater reconciliation between Croats and Serbs in the region (TBullock) FOLEY