US embassy cable - 04ZAGREB584

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ZAGREB 000584 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, HR, Defense Reform (Mil & NATO), War Crimes 
SUBJECT: ZUZUL: NEW GOVERNMENT PUSHING AHEAD AS FAST AS IT 
CAN; TO REVIEW REQUEST FOR TROOPS TO PROTECT UN IN IRAQ 
 
REF: STATE 69468 
 
Classified By: Nicholas M. Hill, Polecon Counselor, Reasons 
1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1.   (C) The new Croatian government is doing everything it 
can to keep its EU and NATO bids on track and forge better 
ties with the U.S.  Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul conveyed 
confidence in a dinner on April 1 with the Ambassador and 
EUR/SCE Director Chuck English.  He said the Prime Minister's 
trip to Washington last week went "extremely" well.  They 
were grateful for the President's supportive remarks at the 
NATO ceremony at the White House.  The new HDZ-led government 
was cooperating with the War Crimes Tribunal "100 percent," 
and Carla del Ponte seemed to be very happy (septel).  The 
government remained commited to deliver any indictees to The 
Hague that it could, including the five Bosnian Croats whose 
indictments the court just issued. 
 
2.   (C) The GOC spoke with one voice.  PM Sanader was 
completely supportive of Washington's Iraq policy and would 
do what it could to play a role -- although the opposition in 
parliament limited its options.  The Ambassador and English 
urged the government to contribute troops to the new 
protection force for the UN pressence in Iraq (ref).  Zuzul 
said he would take the matter up with the prime minister (see 
para 5).  Zuzul was confident the government would meet its 
commitments to Croatia's Serbian community on property and 
refugee issues.  End summary. 
 
3.   (C) In a wide-ranging discussion over dinner April 1, 
Foreign Minister Zuzul told the Ambassador and visiting 
EUR/SCE Director Chuck English that the prime minister's 
visit to the U.S. went extremely well.  PM Sanader was 
delighted with the remarks of the President at the White 
House Accession ceremony for the seven newest NATO members 
and three aspirants, including Croatia, Macedonia and 
Albania.  The president had more words of encouragement for 
the aspirants than for the new members, Zuzul, who 
accompanied the PM, said.  The prime minister was delighted 
in a pull aside with the President to hear praise for 
Sanader's position on the Iraq war and terrorism.  While 
SecDef Rumsfeld was unable to meet separately with Sanader, 
the PM had three separate encounters with Rumsfeld and was 
pleased with the words of encouragement. 
 
4.   (C) Zuzul said that the GOC's commitment to getting into 
NATO as fast as possible remained firm, although interest in 
Alliance membership generally had declined in Croatia.  The 
government looked forward to the visit of NATO Secretary 
General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer sometime in May.  In addition 
to meetings, Scheffer will speak to the Parliament.  Zuzul 
noted that, according to one poll, the public's support for 
NATO was down from the upper sixties a few years ago to the 
low fifties now.  The Foreign Minister said that President 
Mesic and some of his key advisors were at best ambivilent 
about membership.  The president is facing elections next 
winter and is not likely to push Alliance membership 
prominently in his election plank.  "It's not popular to talk 
about NATO in Croatia right now." 
 
Troops/Assistance to Iraq? 
-------------------------- 
 
5.   (C) Zuzul said that Croatians seem to connect NATO 
membership with the more controversial matter of sending 
troops to Iraq.  The GOC wants to play a helpful role, but 
right now sending troops was extremely unpopular.  Zuzul said 
that while in Washington he talked to experts at Walter Reed 
hospital; the GOC was considering offering medical 
assistance.  Zuzul had in mind making Croatian pediatric 
facilities available to Iraqi children -- if children could 
be transported to Zagreb for care.  Passing points (ref), the 
Ambassador and SCE Director English pressed Zuzul to consider 
contributing troops to a contingent charged with protecting 
what will be a large-size UN mission in Baghdad after the 
transfer of sovereignty in June.  Zuzul said he was 
"personally" disposed to the idea, but securing enough 
support would be problematic.  He will consult with the prime 
minister.  Zuzul noted that fear of terrorist reprisals was a 
problem in Croatia -- the president himself, whose support 
would be critical to deliver troops to Iraq, has talked about 
the terrorist threat a number of times, both to the public 
and in private meetings with the government. 
 
ICTY Cooperation 
---------------- 
 
6.   (C) Zuzul stressed that the GOC was doing everything it 
could to cooperate with the War Crimes Tribunal.  "We're 
cooperating 100 percent, not 90 percent."  He said he was on 
 
 
the phone with Carla del Ponte and the ICTY Liaison Office in 
Zagreb constantly.  Del Ponte told Justice Minister 
Skare-Ozbolt this week that the government's efforts 
"exceeded" her expectations.  Zuzul underscored that the GOC 
objects to some of the recent indictments that have arrived 
from The Hague -- which characterize aspects of the Homeland 
War as a "joint criminal enterprise" -- but would cooperate 
regardless.  The government has helped to deliver two 
indictees already, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, and has 
consulted with the most recent group of indictees -- 
including Croatian Defense Council (HVO) Military Police 
Chief, Valentin Coric -- and they would go to The Hague on 
April 5.  Zuzul said that this effort was not easy 
politically, but the government had "no choice." 
 
7.   (C) The Ambassador and SCE Director pressed Zuzul hard 
on the need to track down ICTY fugitive Ante Gotovina. 
Authorities must demonstrate that they have "turned over 
every stone" in their efforts to apprehend him, English said. 
 Getting Gotovina remained an essential priority in 
Washington and the government must deploy all viable means to 
find him -- and demonstrate as much to the Tribunal.  Zuzul 
countered that the government was doing everything it could 
and would continue to do everything it could -- but it was 
difficult to prove a negative.  "Nobody would be happier than 
we if Gotovina turned up in The Hague, but I'm not 
optimistic." 
 
Refugees 
-------- 
 
8.   (C) Zuzul said he was much more optimistic that the 
government would enjoy success on its promises concerning 
facilitating the return of ethnic Serb refugees.  PM Sanader 
was in constant touch with the Serb members of Parliament -- 
who are unofficial coalition partners of HDZ -- and would 
fulfill commitments made at the beginning of the HDZ-led 
government's mandate.  Issues associated with return of 
refugeess, including property restitution, were vexing, Zuzul 
continued, but unlike with Gotovina, the government has more 
control over the situation and would be able to deliver. 
English noted that much was riding on how well Croatia's 
creaky justice sector performed -- a point stressed by our 
OSCE interlocutors in Zagreb.  (Croatian courts suffer from 
enormous backlogs, and police have been slow to follow 
through on evictions in behalf of ethnic Serb property 
owners.)  Zuzul was undeterred.  The government has much more 
control over this issue than over finding Gotovina. 
 
FRANK 
 
 
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