SENATORS VOINOVICH AND SHAHEEN DISCUSS REGIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000115 SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO EUR/SCE AND H E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2020 TAGS: PREL PGOV HR OVIP SUBJECT: SENATORS VOINOVICH AND SHAHEEN DISCUSS REGIONAL POLITICS WITH SENIOR CROATIAN LEADERSHIP REF: A. 09 ZAGREB 691 ¶B. ZAGREB 00055 Classified By: PolOff Peter D'Amico, Reasons 1.4 B/D ¶1. (C) Summary. On February 15 Senators Voinovich and Shaheen met with PM Kosor, Foreign Minister Jandrokovic, Defense Minister Vukelic, then-President Mesic and President-Elect Josipovic. Prime Minister Kosor described the GoC's key goals as completing EU accession negotiations, strengthening the economy, and fighting corruption. FM Jandrokovic said the dialogue between Belgrade and Zagreb that began in December had "stagnated" following President Tadic's decision not to come to Josipovic's inauguration. Nevertheless, he hoped the talks would soon be relaunched. Josipovic described the situation in Bosnia as a "big mess" and criticized the BiH Croats' desire for a third entity. Mesic said he wanted to see all the countries in Southeast Europe join the EU and NATO. Senators Voinovich and Shaheen said they shared this vision for the region. End Summary. PM Kosor's Key Domestic and Foreign Policy Priorities ¶2. (C) Prime Minister Kosor said her key goals are completing EU accession negotiations, strengthening the economy, and fighting corruption. Kosor thanked the Senators for the U.S. role in supporting Croatia's EU accession process, especially the U.S. efforts to end the Slovenian blockade of their negotiations. Her top priority is now to complete EU negotiations this year. Senators Voinovich and Shaheen congratulated Kosor on her progress with EU accession and anti-corruption efforts. Senator Voinovich noted that he wanted all of the countries that once made up Yugoslavia to eventually be members of the EU and NATO. ¶3. (C) On the region, Kosor said Croatia would not give up on the fundamental principles of Dayton for BiH. Even though the Croatian constitution requires Zagreb to assist Croats outside of Croatia, Bosnian Croats must recognize that their state is Bosnia and their capital is Sarajevo. The Bosnian Croats must rely on themselves for solutions rather than Zagreb. Regarding Serbia, she said Croatia will continue to build bridges for the sake of both countries' common European future. She and Slovenian PM Pahor are jointly-sponsoring a regional conference next month to assist neighboring countries on the EU path. The conference would demonstrate how two countries that recently had problems can join forces to work toward mutual goals. Commenting on Croatia's global role, Kosor reaffirmed the GoC's support for the ISAF mission. ¶4. (C) Kosor characterized the fight against corruption as part of her effort to improve the economy. While she acknowledged the poor state of the economy and the need for strong recovery efforts, she repeatedly emphasized that Croatia's problems were the result of the global crisis, rather than a crisis of the government's economic policies. (Comment: While the global crisis has had an impact on Croatia's economy, domestic factors such as the unfriendly business climate and the excessive share of government spending in GDP also contribute to sluggish growth. Post plans to engage the PM directly on this issue in the near future. End Comment.) FM and DefMin On Croatia's Regional Politics, EU Bid, and ISAF ¶5. (C) At lunch with Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic and Defense Minister Branko Vukelic, Senators Voinovich and Shaheen reviewed key regional and bilateral issues. The FM stressed the GoC's unequivocal support for BiH's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The main challenge was assuring the equal rights of the three constituent peoples, while also establishing an effective and functioning government. Political reform had to take place in order to preserve stability in BiH, and Jandrokovic noted the GoC's efforts to engage Bosnian Croats constructively in the political reform process (ref A). ¶6. (C) Regarding Serbia, Jandrokovic noted that a dialogue between Belgrade and Zagreb began before Christmas (ref B), but the talks "stagnated" following President Tadic's decision not to come to the Josipovic inauguration. Jandrokovic hoped the talks would be relaunched soon after the February 18 inauguration since improving relations with Serbia remains a priority for the GoC. Jandrokovic said that Croatia will "probably negotiate" with Serbia over the competing genocide suits at the ICJ. However, Jandrokovic raised concerns about the GoS's efforts to make resolution of bilateral problems, such as the refugee issue, pre-conditions for Croatia's EU accession. Jandrokovic characterized Serbia's role in the region as "ambiguous." For example, the ZAGREB 00000115 002 OF 002 GoS says the right things about territorial integrity for BiH but then works with RS PM Dodik without consulting Sarajevo, which sends mixed messages. ¶7. (C) In reference to Croatia's cooperation with the ICTY, Jandrokovic noted that "four countries (Great Britain, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands) now understand that the GoC is working in good faith." He said the GoC had no reason to hide the documents and added that "our main goal is to get into the EU and we have no desire to jeopardize that." Asked about EU enlargement fatigue, Jandrokovic argued EU member states were "positive" regarding Croatia, but many were "negative" regarding enlargement in general. He added that Croatia must work to persuade EU member states that the GoC is on the level of European standards. "We are not perfect," the FM concluded, but the GoC would do its best to meet the EU requirements. ¶8. (C) Speaking about Croatia's ISAF contribution, DefMin Vukelic said the GoC wanted to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan but "budget cuts are making it difficult." The FM added that more political groundwork was needed. (For more details see septel on Deputy Secretary Lew's meeting with the FM.) The Senators expressed strong appreciation for Croatia's engagement in Afghanistan. Josipovic Discusses Regional Politics ¶9. (C) At dinner then President-Elect Josipovic characterized the situation in BiH as a "big mess." The Dayton Accords stopped the war but also laid the seeds for a destructive political situation. The "asymmetrical relationship" between the three constituent peoples in BiH was a major cause for concern. The Bosnian Croats recognize that government structures are not working, and believe they have no alternatives. Josipovic was critical of BiH Croats' desire for a third entity, however, and stated that it was "driven by money and nationalism." ¶10. (C) Josipovic said the international community needed to do what it could to change the mentality in BiH. The international presence is a significant deterrent against violence in Bosnia. Furthermore, as long as Croatia and Serbia made it clear they will not tolerate extremism, Josipovic believed stability would prevail. He also expressed the hope that the upcoming elections in BiH would bring about positive change. ¶11. (C) On ISAF, Senator Shaheen urged that Croatian endeavor to increase its contribution in line with increased U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Mesic Supports SE Europe Joining Euro-Atlantic Institutions ¶12. (C) President Mesic thanked the U.S. for its assistance in getting Croatia into NATO and moving the country closer to EU membership. Mesic wanted to see all the countries in Southeast Europe join the EU and NATO. The European project would not be complete until Southeast Europe was part of Euro-Atlantic institutions. The process of joining the EU and NATO was key to improving the way people approached political issues in the region. Senators Voinovich and Shaheen said they shared this vision for Southeast Europe. Mesic hoped that the global economic crisis would not stop Euro-Atlantic expansion from moving forward. ¶13. (C) Comment: Croatian officials greatly appreciated the visit of Senators Voinovich and Shaheen, and viewed it as an important sign of continued high-level U.S. interest in their country. The visit also reinforced our key bilateral, regional, and multilateral priorities with Croatia, including continued cooperation on regional stability, EU accession, economic reform, anti-corruption efforts and Croatia's ISAF contribution. Post thanks Senator Voinovich for his long-standing support and looks forward to working with Senator Shaheen on the way ahead for Croatia and the region. ¶14. (U) CODEL Voinovich did not have the opportunity to review this message. FOLEY