US embassy cable - 05ZAGREB173

UNCLAS  ZAGREB 000173 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KAWC, PREL, PHUM, HR, War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  REHN STRIKES A NERVE IN ZAGREB 
 
REF: ZAGREB 00128 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: EU Enlargement Commissioner 
Olli Rehn's January 31 statement casting doubt on a March 17 
start for Croatia's EU accession talks due to lack of full 
cooperation with The Hague elicited several statements from 
the political leadership designed to show a united front and 
put new energy into the search for ICTY fugitive Ante 
Gotovina.  Through yesterday's vigorously unambiguous 
statements, PM Sanader and a number of his ministers may 
hope to create a slightly more positive atmosphere around 
what is likely to be a negative report by ICTY Chief 
Prosecutor Carla del Ponte tomorrow in Brussels - 
specifically because of inaction in the hunt for Gotovina 
and disturbing presidential campaign statements last month. 
END SUMMARY AND COMMENT 
 
PRESIDENT NOT SURPRISED, PM INSISTS FULLY COOPERATING 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
2.  (U) Croatian media February 1 extensively covered EU 
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's January 31: "If I had 
to give a recommendation to the EC based on today's 
information, I must say I could not recommend the opening of 
negotiations with Croatia" until Gotovina is handed over to 
the ICTY.  President Mesic's initial reaction, reported by 
spokesperson Daniela Barisic, was that he was not surprised 
by the news that the European Commission at this time could 
not support the start of talks with the EU on March 17.  "It 
has been clear since the beginning that the start of talks 
is directly connected to solving the Gotovina issue.  Mr. 
Rehn's statement shows that nothing regarding this issue has 
changed, and anyway - it is illusionary to expect anything 
different." 
 
3.  (U) PM Sanader's initial reaction to the statement, 
while on an official visit to Luxembourg, was: "I am not 
worried because Croatia is cooperating with the Hague in 
full and this is where our opinion differs from that of the 
Commissioner. Of course it is serious when the Commissioner 
reacts like this and we will talk both tonight and tomorrow 
with the European Commission to see what grounds the 
statement is based on."  Sanader expressed "surprise, not 
worry" and asserted that Croatia has shown its cooperation 
with The Hague. He again invited anyone in Europe to come 
forward to the Croatian government if they have any 
information regarding Gotovina, and denied Rehn's statement 
that the Croatian government had initiated negotiations with 
Gotovina on his voluntary surrender: "I don't know what Mr. 
Rehn meant by that, but it's not true." 
 
OPPOSITION ACCUSES EU OF POLITICIZING GOTOVINA 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
4.  (U) The February 1 press carried additional reaction 
from the opposition: 
 
-- The Social Democrats (SDP) Vice President Zeljka 
Antunovic commented that the entire Gotovina problem was "in 
greater part manufactured" and that this case "should not 
present such a problem to EU or Croatia."  She also told the 
press, "I am further of the opinion that the EU and The 
Hague turned Gotovina into a political issue. The status of 
General Gotovina is a problem, but I think it has been 
exaggerated and if Gotovina has become the only measure by 
which Croatia can continue on it path to the EU, then that 
is not fair."  Her SDP colleague, MP Zoran Milanovic, said, 
"Sanader's optimistic forecast for the start of talks just 
lacked seriousness.  The truth is that the condition for 
extradition of Gotovina is unreal, unfair and very difficult 
- but that is the way things are and the SDP stands behind 
all government efforts to prove that Gotovina is not 
findable." 
 
-- The Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) Pero Kovacevic: "The 
HSP warned of this possibility earlier when we stated that 
the opening of talks was not going to be unconditional.  We 
think that there will be no delay in talks, rather, that 
Croatia will have to make concessions for the EU. We will 
tie our hands in this manner and this is a well known 
scenario." 
 
-- Ante Markov of the HSS (Croatian Peasant Party): "We are 
surprised by the EU ultimatum. They do not want to accept 
that Gotovina is not available to the Croatian government. 
They are obviously trying to avoid the date of the start of 
talks and this would, regarding their internal plans, cause 
disorder and problems for the EU idea. The proof here is 
that the EU does not have equal criteria for everyone." 
 
GOVERNMENT COORDINATES FEBRUARY 1 RESPONSE 
------------------------------------------ 
 
5.  (U) Late in the afternoon of February 1, the GoC issued 
 
 
a barrage of statements to offer a coordinated response to 
Rehn's statements.  President Mesic and PM Sanader put out a 
joint statement, noting they had ordered all relevant state 
agencies, including intelligence services, the Ministry of 
the Interior and the Chief State Attorney, to "increase to 
the fullest all necessary measures and activities to 
establish Gotovina's whereabouts, arrest him and transfer 
him to ICTY's jurisdiction." They also encouraged those 
agencies to cooperate in this effort with their counterparts 
from foreign countries. 
 
6.  (U) Justice Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt told Reuters on 
February 1, "It's high time we said it openly: we are 
determined to locate, arrest and extradite Gotovina." 
Commenting on her January 31 meeting with Carla del Ponte, 
Minister Skare-Ozbolt said ICTY's Chief Prosecutor was not 
convinced that the GOC was willing to arrest Gotovina. "The 
prosecutor was angered by our calls for Gotovina to 
surrender and did not believe we were ready to go out and 
arrest him," she said. Skare-Ozbolt said GOC had no contact 
with Gotovina although official people have been sent to 
locate him but with no result thus far. "One lead suggested 
that he might be hiding in Bosnia. We are checking it and 
have informed ICTY about our actions. But I doubt he will be 
there. The man is a legionnaire and could go anywhere." 
 
7.  (U) European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar 
Kitarovic said in Brussels that GOC was not in touch with 
the fugitive general, claiming it had a strong political 
will to resolve this issue.  Interior Ministry Spokesman 
Zlatko Mehun told the Croatian News Agency (HINA) February 1 
that "To track down and apprehend Ante Gotovina, police 
officers, in cooperation with the security services and the 
Chief State Prosecutor, are gathering information on his 
whereabouts and persons who may be assisting him in hiding. 
The police are taking all necessary steps to verify that 
information." Mehun added that all police departments in the 
country were under orders to intensify the search. 
 
8. (SBU) All this sudden tough talk from the GoC may in part 
be designed to counter fall-out from remarks made during 
last month's presidential campaign by ruling party 
presidential candidate and Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka 
Kosor.  Asked on national TV what she would do if she ran 
into Gotovina on the street, Kosor said she would NEVER 
recognize him (not even if she really did).  Local ICTY reps 
interpreted this as a GoC message to police officers across 
the country: If you arrest Gotovina, we will not support 
you.  The highest levels of the GoC are now on record 
supporting Gotovina's arrest. 
 
FRANK 
 
 
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