ZAGREB WEEKLY REPORT - NOVEMBER 6, 2009

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000665 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV HR SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY REPORT - NOVEMBER 6, 2009 ¶1. (U) CROATIAN AND US SOLDIERS DEPLOY TO AFGHANINSTAN: The second rotation of the 25-soldier Combined Croatia-Minnesota National Guard Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) arrived at Camp Mike Spann October 29, 2009. The new team has started the hand-over procedures and was expected to complete the hand-over by November 5. Prior to deployment the combined Croatia-Minnesota National Guard Team trained together in Croatia for approximately four-weeks, which included a trip to the local Mosque to enhance their cultural awareness of Islam. (CDAVIS) ¶2. (U) CROATIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CALENDAR SET: The Government's decision setting the dates for presidential race was published in the National Gazetteer on 4 November, which formally determines the election calendar. Last week, the government announced that the first round election will be held on December 27, 2009 and the second round on January 10, 2010. The November 4 date marks the start of the 12-day deadline for collecting 10,000 signatures required to be a presidential candidate. The candidates are required to submit the signatures to the State Electoral Commission within that deadline. The State Electoral Commission will vet the signatures and then publicly announce the candidates that met the requirements to be officially placed on the ballet two days later on November 18, 2009. (DMEGES) ¶3. (U) USKOK FILES INDICTMENTS IN THE PUKANIC AND FRANJIC MURDURS On October 26, the Office for Suppression of Organized Crime and Corruption (USKOK),filed an indictment with the Zagreb County Court against six defendants in the Pukanic and Franjic murders. Ivo Pukanic, journalist and president of the NCL Media Group, and Niko Franjic, his marketing vice president, were killed in a car bombing in October 2008. The charges against the six indictees -- Robert Matanic, Luka Matanic, Amir Mafalanij, Zeljko Milovanovic, Bojan Guduric and Slobodan Qurovic -- claim that, as members of an organized crime group, they committed two murders and other criminal acts relating to car bombing. Local media report that in the first half of 2008, shady Serbian businessman, Sreten Jocic, approached Djurovic to organize a group to murder Pukanic for roughly $2 million. The murder was allegedly ordered to prevent Pukanic from writing a series of articles about the activities of organized crime groups in the region. (VDJUKIC) ¶4. (U) REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON "WITNESS & VICTIM SUPPORT" On October 26 PolOff attended a regional conference on "Witnesses & Victim Support" organized by the UNDP Mission to Croatia. The conference gathered high level representatives from the Croatia's judiciary -- including the Minister of Justice, President of the Supreme Court, and Chief State Prosecutor. The conference was also attended by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Macedonia, and representatives of relevant judicial institutions in the region that deal with witness and victim support issues. The aim of the conference was to present the results of the UNDP project entitled "Development of System for Witness and Victims Support" and to share best practices with countries in the region. (CZIMMER) FOLEY