US embassy cable - 03ZAGREB2004

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 002004 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, HR, SM, Regional Issues 
SUBJECT: MESIC IN BELGRADE: HISTORIC VISIT? 
 
REF: BELGRADE 2179 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: NICHOLAS HILL, POLECON COUNSELOR, REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND 
(D). 
 
1.   (SBU) SUMMARY: CROATIAN AUTHORITIES ARE GENERALLY 
SATISFIED WITH PRESIDENT MESIC'S SEPTEMBER 10 TRIP TO 
BELGRADE.  THE PRESIDENT'S FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR, ANOTHER 
MESIC STAFFER, AND THE HEAD OF THE MFA'S EASTERN BALKANS 
OFFICE TOLD US THE TRIP WENT BETTER THAN EXPECTED, WITH THE 
    TWO PRESIDENTS MAKING FROM-THE-HEART STATEMENTS OF REGRET FOR 
THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES' WAR-TIME LEGACIES.  THE SAM 
AMBASSADOR TO CROATIA, ON HAND IN BELGRADE FOR THE VISIT, 
SAID THE SAME THING TO US ON RETURNING.  THE CROATIAN PRESS 
REPORTED SOME GRUMBLING, BUT FOR THE MOST PART THIS CAME FROM 
THE USUAL SUSPECTS IN THE OPPOSITION TRYING TO SCORE POINTS 
BEFORE ELECTIONS, EXPECTED IN NOVEMBER.  END SUMMARY 
 
HISTORIC VISIT? 
--------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) PRESIDENT MESIC'S TRIP TO BELGRADE WENT MUCH BETTER 
THAN EXPECTED.  THIS WAS HOW DAVOR VIDIS, HEAD OF THE MFA'S 
EASTERN BALKANS OFFICE, SUMMED IT UP DURING A MEETING 
SEPTEMBER 12.  HE TOLD US THAT THE PRESIDENT TOOK ALONG 
SEVERAL KEY PEOPLE -- INCLUDING FINANCE MINISTER CRKVENAC AND 
DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SIMONOVIC -- AND A LIST OF ISSUES TO 
TACKLE.  BUT TIME WAS SHORT, AND WHEN THE TWO PRESIDENTS 
EXCHANGED APOLOGIES MID-WAY DURING THE VISIT, ALL THE OTHER 
ISSUES MELTED INTO INSIGNIFICANCE.  VIDIS TERMED THE EXCHANGE 
OF APOLOGIES AN "HISTORIC" MOMENT IN THE RELATIONSHIP. 
 
3.  (C) MESIC'S SENIOR FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR, IVICA 
MASTRUKO, TOLD US SEPTEMBER 12 THAT, DESPITE THE BREVITY OF 
THE VISIT, THE PRESIDENT COVERED MUCH GROUND.  THE TWO 
DELEGATIONS DISCUSSED THE DANUBE BORDER DISPUTE.  MESIC MET 
WITH A GROUP OF SERBIAN REFUGEES, AND LATER WITH A GROUP OF 
ETHNIC CROAT LEADERS FROM SERBIA'S NORTHERN PROVINCE OF 
VOJVODINA.  MASTRUKO SAID THAT MESIC INVITED SAM PRESIDENT 
MAROVIC TO CROATIA FOR A VISIT, PREFERABLY BEFORE THE END THE 
YEAR.  THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN MESIC AND MAROVIC -- BOTH FORMER 
    COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBERS IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA -- IS MUCH 
BETTER THAN THAT BETWEEN MESIC AND FORMER FRY PRESIDENT 
KOSTUNICA. 
 
4.  (C) SEPARATELY, KATARINA TRSNJAK, AN MFA OFFICIAL 
SECONDED TO MESIC'S OFFICE, TOLD US THAT MESIC WAS SURPRISED 
BY SAM PRESIDENT MAROVIC'S STATEMENT OF REGRET.  MAROVIC USED 
VERY STRAIGHT-FORWARD LANGUAGE, WITHOUT ANY HESITATION.  THE 
CROATIANS ON THE DELEGATION, SHE SAID, EXPECTED LANGUAGE MUCH 
LESS FORTHCOMING.  AT THE SAME TIME, MESIC'S COMMENTS WERE 
MORE "LEGALLY GROUNDED," AS SHE PUT IT, ALTHOUGH ALSO VERY 
SINCERE.  ECHOING VIDIS, TRSNJAK SAID THAT AFTER THE EXCHANGE 
OF APOLOGIES IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO CONDUCT OTHER 
BUSINESS.  "IT WAS NEITHER THE PLACE NOR THE TIME." 
 
OTHER REACTION 
-------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) MEANWHILE, PUBLIC REACTIONS TO THE VISIT WERE 
GENERALLY POSITIVE.  PM RACAN SAID HE "WELCOMED" MAROVIC'S 
STATEMENT, WHICH HE CHARACTERIZED AS AN IMPORTANT SYMBOLIC 
GESTURE IN THE STATES' BILATERAL RELATIONS.  DEFENSE MINISTER 
ANTUNOVIC SAID THE TWO PRESIDENTS' REMARKS AUGURED WELL FOR 
EVEN BETTER RELATIONS IN THE FUTURE.  CRITICS INCLUDED 
HARD-LINE NATIONALIST IVIC PASALIC, PRESIDENT OF THE CROATIAN 
BLOCK, WHO TERMED MESIC'S STATEMENT OF CONTRITION 
"DISGRACEFUL," AND MAROVIC'S "INADEQUATE."  HDZ VICE 
PRESIDENT JADRANKA KOSAR AND CROATIAN PARTY OF RIGHTS 
PRESIDENT ANTE DJAPIC SAID THEY OBJECTED TO WHAT SEEMED LIKE 
AN EQUALIZATION OF GUILT. 
 
    COMMENT 
------- 
 
6.  (SBU) ANY MESIC TRIP, OWING TO THE PRESIDENT'S LIMITED 
CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS, IS GOING TO BE SHORT ON SUBSTANCE -- 
AND THIS ONE WAS NO EXCEPTION.  MESIC AND MAROVIC SHOWED SOME 
DEGREE OF POLITICAL COURAGE IN EXCHANGING APOLOGIES, AND THIS 
VISIT WILL DO MUCH TO PUSH BILATERAL RELATIONS EVEN FURTHER 
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.  VIDIS WAS MORE CONFIDENT THAN HE HAS 
BEEN IN SOME WHILE ABOUT THE PROSPECTS FOR PROGRESS ON A 
NUMBER OF OUTSTANDING ISSUES, INCLUDING BORDERS.  AND THE 
BEST THING ABOUT THIS VISIT, HE QUIPPED, WAS THAT IT PUSHED 
ZAGREB'S PROBLEMS WITH SLOVENIA OFF THE FRONT PAGES. 
FRANK 
 
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