ZAGREB DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT: JANUARY 14, 2010

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000031 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON HR SUBJECT: ZAGREB DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT: JANUARY 14, 2010 ¶1. (U) SLOVENIA POISED TO LIFT RESERVATIONS ON TWO CHAPTERS: Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor and his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor said January 14 they were ready to clear the way for Zagreb's EU membership talks next month. "My wish is that, by the next EU-Croatia accession conference in February, we can solve at least two of the three open issues," Pahor said in a joint statement issued after meeting with Kosor in Slovenia. At the last EU accession conference with Croatia in December, Slovenia continued to block the opening of three chapters -- on environment, fisheries, and foreign and defense policy. Pahor did not state which of the three chapters it would be possible to open, but Croatian media is speculating that it would be chapter 13 on fisheries and chapter 27 on the environment. The two leaders also announced a joint commission that would be set up to propose solutions to all other "open" bilateral issues that relate to Croatia's EU bid. "I believe important steps will be made by the conference on February 19. We will work hard for that and I'm convinced we will achieve results," Kosor told journalists. ¶2. (U) CROATIAN DEMINER DIES: The Croatian Center for Demining (HCR) told the press that a Croatian responsible for clearing mines died on January 13 while clearing a mined area in the southern Zadar region. A HCR representative told the media that the deminer was the deputy chief for the demining program in this zone and did not specify the cause of death. According to radio reports, an anti-personnel mine killed the man. FOLEY