Zagreb Daily Report - February 5, 2010

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000083 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL HR SUBJECT: Zagreb Daily Report - February 5, 2010 ¶1. (U) Finnish and Spanish FMs Express Optimism over Croatia's EU Bid: Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said in Brussels on Thursday that, during its six-month presidency of the European Union, Spain would dedicate the greatest possible attention to Croatia so that the country could complete its EU entry talks in the course of this year. Similarly, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb on Thursday praised Croatia's efforts to draw closer to the European Union, expressing hope that Croatia would become an EU member as soon as possible. "The present government and prime minister have done an excellent job on the path to the EU. There is still some way to go, but I'm confident that accession negotiations will be finished by the end of this year and that Croatia will become the 28th member of the EU," Stubb told reporters in Zagreb after meeting Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic. ¶2. (U) Slovenian Court Considers Possible Redress for Ljubljanska Banka Depositors in Croatia: According to press reports, a Slovenian Constitutional Court decision on February 4 will allow Croatian citizens who had savings accounts with Ljubljanska Banka at the time of independence the abilty to pursue their claims against the bank through Slovenian courts. It is not yet clear if this decision will apply only for those who have already filed cases with the courts, or permit new suits as well. Thousands of Croatian depositors were unable to reclaim their accounts with the bank after Slovenia and Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The fate of these deposits, a long-term irritant in Croatia-Slovenia relations, led the Croatian National Bank to restrict Nova Ljubljanska Banka's access to the Croatian market. FOLEY