US embassy cable - 03ZAGREB2047

UNCLAS ZAGREB 002047 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NP, T, EUR AND EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNNP, MNUC, PARM, PREL, HR 
SUBJECT: CROATIA SUPPORTS PSI PRINCIPLES, SEEKS MORE 
INFORMATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 254587 
 
     B. STATE 262197 
 
SENSITIVE, BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE TREAT ACCORDINGLY 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  (SBU) CROATIA IS "FULLY SUPPORTIVE" OF THE PRINCIPLES OF 
THE PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE, BUT ASKED FOR MORE 
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PSI'S LEGAL FRAMEWORK.  PLEASE SEE PARA 
6 FOR ACTION REQUEST.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) ON SEPTEMBER 18, WE ENGINEERED A JOINT DEMARCHE BY 
REPRESENTATIVES OF EMBASSIES OF ALL ELEVEN PSI MEMBER STATES 
TO ZORAN MILANOVIC, THE HEAD OF THE MFA'S DIVISION OF 
MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS.  DRAWING ON THE TEXT OF THE STATEMENT, 
PRESS MATERIALS AND COMMON THEMES FROM INSTRUCTIONS FROM 
CAPITALS, WE DELIVERED A STRONG MESSAGE OUTLINING THE GOALS 
OF THE INITIATIVE AND ASKED FOR CROATIA'S SUPPORT. 
 
    3.  (SBU) MILANOVIC WAS APPROPRIATELY IMPRESSED BY THE SHOW 
OF SOLIDARITY AND SAID "WHATEVER ALL ELEVEN OF YOU ARE FOR, 
THEN CROATIA IS FOR IT ALSO."  MILANOVIC SAID THAT HE HAD 
ALREADY REVIEWED THE STATEMENT AND THAT CROATIA WAS "FULLY 
SUPPORTIVE OF THE PRINCIPLES.  (NOTE: WE DELIVERED THE TEXT 
AS INSTRUCTED BY REF A ON SEPTEMBER 5; IT TOOK TIME TO 
ARRANGE A JOINT APPROACH TO THE GOC.  END NOTE.)  MILANOVIC 
ASKED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK 
SUPPORTING THE INITIATIVE.  HE ALSO ASKED IF THERE WERE PLANS 
TO CREATE A STANDING INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE PSI. 
 
4.  (SBU) WE TOLD MILANOVIC THAT THE PSI WAS ALREADY ENGAGED 
IN A ROBUST TRAINING SCHEDULE.  RESPONDING TO A QUERY ABOUT 
PROXIMITY OF EXERCISES TO CROATIA, ITALIAN DCM GIOVANNI 
DAVOLI SAID THAT ITALY WOULD HOST AN AIRBORNE INTERDICTION 
EXERCISE IN DECEMBER 2003 AND WAS CONSIDERING HOSTING A 
MARITIME EXERCISE IN 2004.  MILANOVIC ASKED IF IT WOULD BE 
POSSIBLE FOR CROATIA TO BE AN OBSERVER IN THE UPCOMING 
EVENTS. 
 
5.  (SBU) WE THANKED MILANOVIC FOR HIS STATEMENT OF SUPPORT 
TO THE PSI PRINCIPLES.  NOTING THAT THE RELATIVE 
RECEPTIVENESS TO PSI PRINCIPLES WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT AN 
UPCOMING PSI MEETING IN LONDON, WE ASKED MILANOVIC TO PREPARE 
A MORE FORMAL STATEMENT DESCRIBING CROATIA'S POSITION ON PSI. 
 HE COMMITTED TO DELIVERING A NON-PAPER BY THE END OF 
SEPTEMBER. 
 
ACTION REQUEST 
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    6.  (SBU) REQUEST DEPARTMENT GUIDANCE ON HOW TO RESPOND TO 
MFA QUERIES ABOUT THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF THE PSI, PLANS FOR 
AN INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE REQUEST TO OBSERVE AN 
UPCOMING PSI EXERCISE. 
FRANK 
 
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