US embassy cable - 03ZAGREB1901

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001901 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, HR 
SUBJECT:  CROATIA ABOUT TO COMPLETE EU QUESTIONNAIRE, SAYS OUTGOING DEPUTY MINISTER OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION 
 
1.  ALTHOUGH ICTY COMPLIANCE COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS, CROATIA 
IS WELL ON TRACK IN ITS EUROPEAN INTEGRATION EFFORTS.  THAT 
IS WHAT OUTGOING DEPUTY MINISTER OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION, 
MIRJANA MLADINEO, TOLD US AUGUST 28, ON HER LAST DAY ON THE 
JOB.  SHE STARTS SOON IN BRUSSELS AS AMBASSADOR TO 
CROATIA'S EU MISSION.  SHE TOLD US THAT LINE MINISTRIES 
GENERALLY KEPT INTERNAL GOC DEADLINES TO COMPLETE THE 
CANDIDACY QUESTIONNAIRE DELIVERED BY ROMANO PRODI IN EARLY 
JULY.  THE WORK OF THE MINISTRIES, SHE SAID, WILL BE VETTED 
    BY OCTOBER AND DELIVERED TO BRUSSELS SHORTLY THEREAFTER. 
SHE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SOME 29 QUESTIONS, COVERING MOSTLY 
ECONOMIC STRATEGIES, HAD BEEN SENT BACK TO THE RELEVANT 
MINISTRIES FOR MORE WORK -- BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE WORK 
WAS ON TIME. 
 
2.  STRESSING CROATIA'S NEED TO KEEP AMBITIOUS DEADLINES IN 
ORDER TO MOVE THE PROCESS ALONG, MLADINEO SAID SHE HOPED 
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION WOULD APPROVE CROATIA'S CANDIDACY 
BY APRIL 2004 -- A TIMELINE WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE GOC TO 
START NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE EU BY THE FOLLOWING FALL. 
TIMING IS CRITICAL, SHE STRESSED; CROATIA WANTS TO START 
NEGOTIATIONS BEFORE THE ACCESSION OF ANOTHER TEN NEW MEMBER 
COUNTRIES SET FOR NEXT SPRING.  MLADINEO GAVE CREDIT TO THE 
GOVERNMENT FOR THE PACE OF ITS WORK: IT HAS ACCOMPLISHED 
THE COMPREHENSIVE TASK OF ANSWERING THOUSANDS OF QUESTIONS 
NEEDED FOR ITS EU CANDIDACY IN A MATTER OF MONTHS IN AN 
ELECTION YEAR.  FOR ITS PART, THE PARLIAMENT HAS ADJUSTED 
TO EU STANDARDS SOME FIFTY LAWS IN TIMELY FASHION, MANY 
OVER RECENT WEEKS.  THOSE INCLUDE THE LABOR ACT, BROADCAST 
MEDIA ACT, ANTI-MONOPOLY ACT, FOOD ACT, AND GENDER EQUALITY 
ACT. 
 
DARK CLOUD 
---------- 
 
3.  THE BIGGEST CLOUD ON THE HORIZON, MLADINEO CONCEDED, 
WAS THE STABILIZATION AND ACCESSION AGREEMENT (SAA) -- 
WHICH HAS STILL NOT BEEN RATIFIED BY THE UK AND THE 
NETHERLANDS; THEY ARE HOLDING OUT OVER CROATIA'S HANDLING 
OF ITS ICTY OBLIGATIONS.  THE DEPUTY MINISTER REGRETTED 
    INCLUSION OF CROATIA'S LEADING INDICTED WAR CRIMINAL, ANTE 
GOTOVINA, BY NAME NEXT TO MLADIC AND KARADZIC IN THE RECENT 
SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION OVER THE TRIBUNAL'S WORK.  THIS 
WAS UNHELPFUL AND UNFAIR, SHE SAID -- ADDING, HOWEVER, 
THAT, EVEN IF FULL SAA RATIFICATION IS DELAYED OVER 
CROATIA'S RECORD ON COOPERATION WITH THE ICTY, THE WORK OF 
HER MINISTRY WOULD MOVE IN PARALLEL TO THE SAA PROCESS. 
(THE BRITISH CHARGE CONFIRMED TO US AUGUST 29 THAT, IN 
PRACTICAL TERMS, THE EC WOULD NOT LIKELY ACT POSITIVELY ON 
CROATIA'S APPLICATION, THE "AVIS," BEFORE THE SAA IS 
RATIFIED BY ALL EU MEMBERS.) 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
4.  THE POLITICAL CHOREOGRAPHY OF CROATIA'S EU BID IS 
LOOKING A BIT MORE AWKWARD THAN IT DID A FEW MONTHS AGO. 
WHAT PM RACAN WANTS TO DO IS GET THE EU QUESTIONNAIRE 
COMPLETED AND DELIVERED TO BRUSSELS IN TIME TO CALL 
ELECTIONS, WHICH ARE WIDELY EXPECTED IN NOVEMBER.  WHILE 
THE EC BUREAUCRACY ASSESSES WHAT WILL BE THOUSANDS OF PAGES 
OF DOCUMENTATION, RACAN AND HIS CURRENT COALITION PARTNERS 
WOULD CAMPAIGN -- TRUMPETING THE PRIORITY THEY PLACE ON 
EUROPEAN INTEGRATION.  HOWEVER, UNLESS ALL CURRENT EU 
MEMBER STATES RATIFY THE SAA, RACAN WILL HAVE SOME 
EXPLAINING TO DO.  AND BY NEXT YEAR, THE 10 NEW MEMBERS 
COULD IN EFFECT BE HANDED, AS CURRENT MEMBERS HAVE, A VETO 
OVER CROATIA'S SAA.  RACAN MAY BRISTLE AT THIS PROSPECT -- 
PARTICULARLY WITH RELATIONS WITH SLOVENIA LOOKING 
INCREASINGLY STRAINED OVER A MARITIME DISPUTE. 
FRANK 

 
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