Zagreb Daily Report - February 12, 2010

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000098 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL HR SUBJECT: Zagreb Daily Report - February 12, 2010 ¶1. (U) Slovenia to Unblock 2 Chapters in Croatia's EU Entry Talks Next Week: Local media are reporting that Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor confirmed on Thursday that his government would lift its reserve on at least two policy chapters in Croatia's EU membership negotiations, which means they could be opened at an Intergovernmental Conference scheduled for February 19. "Slovenia has removed its objections because we have all the necessary guarantees from Croatia, so at least two chapters will be opened on February 19," Pahor said at a press conference after an informal summit of EU leaders in Brussels. While Pahor would not specify what chapters would be unblocked, local media report that the "Environment" and "Fisheries" chapters will be opened at the conference. 2.(U) Kosor Says Dutch Ready to Start Chapter 23 Negotiations:Croatian media report that Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told the Dutch parliament on February 11 that the Netherlands would allow Croatia to submit its negotiating position on Chapter 23 -- Judiciary and Fundamental Rights -- in Croatia's accession talks with the European Union. Prime Minister Kosor welcomed the news, saying, "...this shows that diligence and hard work pay off." The Netherlands, Britain, Denmark, Belgium and Finland had until recently prevented Croatia from opening negotiations on Chapter 23 over objections raised by the ICTY chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, that Zagreb was not fully cooperating in delivering military documents sought by prosecutors in the trial of three Croatian generals. All those countries, except for the Netherlands, confirmed over the past two weeks that they were prepared to lift their holds and allow preparations to open the chapter to begin. If these preparations go smoothly, and the EU can agree on what closing benchmarks should be, then the chapter would be formally opened in April. A spokesman for the Dutch foreign ministry told Croatian press in Brussels that the Dutch expect clear references in the closing benchmarks that Croatia must deliver the requested documents and ensure full cooperation with the Hague tribunal. ¶3. (U) Parliament Reappoints Bajic as Chief State Prosecutor: On February 12, Parliament reappointed Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic to a third four-year term. The lopsided vote of 84 to 34 followed Prime Minister Kosor's appearance before parliament yesterday to push for Bajic's reappointment. She said Bajic shares a great deal of the credit for Croatia's advances on dealing with corruption and war crimes. Although the opposing Social Democrats were vocal in their stance, other opposition parties said that with major ongoing corruption cases and EU accession, this was not the time to change leadership at the prosecutor's office. ¶4. (U) Croatian Archbishop Cardinal to Visit US:Zagreb Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanic will visit Croatian Catholic communities in the US and Canada between February 12 and March 3. Bozanic is scheduled to travel to Missouri, New York, New Jersey and Cleveland, Ohio. According to the press, he will also visit priests and nuns in Croatian catholic communities in Canada. FOLEY