US embassy cable - 03ZAGREB407

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000407 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, HR, PBTS, PGOV, PREF, HR, PBTS, PGOV, PREF, PREL, PRELECON 
SUBJECT: GOC MOVING FORWARD WITH DEMINING PREVLAKA 
PENINSULA, MONTENEGRIN BORDER AREAS 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1. WHILE THE GOC WILL COVER THE FULL COST OF DEMINING THE 
PREVLAKA PENINSULA, IT IS SEEKING INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE IN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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DEMINING AREAS ON BOTH SIDES OF ITS BORDER WITH MONTENEGRO. 
CROATIAN AUTHORITIES WANT TO BE ABLE TO TOUT PREVLAKA AS A 
MAJOR TOURIST ATTACTION THIS SUMMER, AND SEE DEMINING AS A 
KEY PART OF THIS EFFORT.  END SUMMARY. 
 
GOC HAS BIG PLANS FOR PREVLAKA 
------------------------------ 
 
2. AT THE INVITATION OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE CROATIAN MINE 
ACTION CENTER (CROMAC), OTO JUNGWIRTH, WE TRAVELED ON 
FEBRUARY 13 TO PREVLAKA AND OTHER AREAS ALONG THE CROATIAN 
BORDER WITH MONTENEGRO TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANING OF THE 
SCOPE OF THE MINE PROBLEM IN THE AREA.  UNTIL RECENTLY, THE 
PENINSULA HAD BEEN OFF LIMITS, PART OF AN EXCLUSION ZONE OF 
THE UN OBSERVER MISSION (UNMOP), WHICH SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS 
IN DECEMBER.  CROATIAN AND MONTENEGRIN AUTHORITIES DESCRIBED 
TO US EXTENSIVE COOPERATION THEY HAVE HAD ON A NUMBER OF 
ISSUES THEY BOTH FACE IN DEVELOPING THE REGION POST UNMOP. 
 
3.  BEFORE TRAVELING TO PREVLAKA, WE MET WITH HDZ MEMBER AND 
COUNTY PREFECT OF DUBROVNIK, IVAN SPRLJE, WHO HAS POLITICAL 
AUTHORITY OVER PREVLAKA.  SPRLJE TOLD US THAT PLANS WERE 
ALREADY UNDERWAY TO ESTABLISH PREVLAKA AS A MAJOR TOURIST 
ATTRACTION.  HE SAID THAT ONE ASPECT OF THE PLAN IS TO 
CONVERT A HUGE PORTION OF THE PENISULA INTO A CAMP AREA FOR 
TOURISTS.  IN ADDITION, THE GOC WILL BUILD AN INTERNATIONAL 
STUDENT CENTER ON PREVLAKA, WHICH WOULD BE THE LARGEST IN THE 
REGION.  ALL OF THE FACILITIES WILL BE FOR PUBLIC USE AND 
WOULD BE OPEN YEAR ROUND.  SINCE IT IS A STATE PROJECT, MUCH 
OF THE FUNDING FOR DEMINING AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION WILL COME 
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FROM THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.  THE GOC HAS ALREADY ALLOCATED 
OVER $2 MILLION FOR VARIOUS PROJECTS AND WORK HAS ALREADY 
BEGUN TO ENHANCE ROADS AND WATER SUPPLY -- A LONGSTANDING 
CONSTRAINT -- TO THE PENINSULA. 
 
4.  SPRLJE SAID THE NUMBER OF MONTENEGRIN TOURISTS TO 
DUBROVNIK WAS UP CONSIDERABLY SINCE UNMOP SHUT DOWN.  HIS 
ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO INCREASE THE POPULATION IN THE AREAS NEAR 
THE BORDER WITH MONTENEGRO.  HE SPECULATED THAT MORE PEOPLE 
WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO THOSE AREAS ONCE GOOD RELATIONS HAVE 
BEEN ESTABLISHED AMONG THE COMMUNITIES STRADDLING THE BORDER 
AND THE LANDMINES HAVE BEEN REMOVED.  CURRENTLY, NO ONE WAS 
LIVING ON PREVLAKA OR IN THE AREAS NEAR THE BORDER.  ONE MINE 
INCIDENT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BORDER COULD CAUSE RELATIONS 
BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES TO NOSE DIVE.  SPRLJE VOICED HIS 
APPRECIATION FOR U.S. INTEREST IN THE REGION AND POSSIBLE 
WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO DEMINING EFFORTS. 
 
EYEING THE TOURIST SEASON 
------------------------- 
 
5. ACCESS TO PREVLAKA IS RESTRICTED BY THE CROATIAN POLICE, 
PER AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE TWO SIDES WHEN UNMOP'S CLOSURE 
WAS BEING DISCUSSED.  DEMINING EFFORTS, HOWEVER, ARE ALREADY 
UNDERWAY.  CROMAC OFFICIALS TOLD US THAT THE PENINSULA 
CONSISTED OF ALMOST ONE MILLION SQUARE METERS OF LAND, ALL OF 
WHICH HAD TO BE EXAMINED FOR MINES.  SO FAR, ONE-THIRD OF THE 
LAND HAD BEEN CLEARED.  THEY SPECULATED THAT THE REMAINING 
AREAS WILL BE COMPLETED BY JUNE.  THE GOC WANTED TO SPEED UP 
THE INTEGRATION OF THE PENINSULA AS PART OF CROATIAN 
TERRITORY AND TO SHOW THAT THERE WAS STABILITY ON ITS 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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SOUTHERN FLANK.  ALSO, THE GOC IS SEEKING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE 
OF THE UPCOMING TOURIST SEASON BY HAVING PREVLAKA OPEN TO 
TOURISTS IN JULY. 
 
6. CROATIAN AND MONTENEGRIN AUTHORITIES ARE COOPERATING IN 
IDENTIFICATION OF SUSPECTED MINE SITES NEAR THE BORDER.  SO 
FAR THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED THREE AREAS AND HAVE DEVELOPED JOINT 
DEMINING PROJECTS FOR EACH OF THEM.  ONE AREA IS ON THE 
OUTSKIRTS OF PREVLAKA, WHILE THE OTHER TWO AREAS ARE ON THE 
MONTENEGRIN SIDE OF THE BORDER.  EACH PROJECT CONSISTS OF 
ABOUT 100,000 SQUARE METERS.  ONCE THESE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN 
COMPLETED, AUTHORITIES TOLD US, THE ENTIRE AREA STRADDLING 
THE BORDER WILL BE MINE FREE.  THE CROATIAN AND MONTENEGRIN 
GOVERNMENTS ARE SEEKING INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP 
FINANCE THE PROJECTS. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
7.  RELATIONS BETWEEN MONTENEGRINS AND CROATIANS, BITTER FOR 
OVER A DECADE, ARE ON THE MEND, AND COOPERATION ON DEMINING 
HAS HELPED IMPROVE THE CLIMATE EVEN FURTHER.  WHILE ON THIS 
VISIT THERE WAS NO FORMAL PITCH FOR U.S. FINANCIAL SUPPORT, 
WE WILL SEEK TO LEND OUR SUPPORT IN THIS EFFORT WHERE 
POSSIBLE. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ1648 
 
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ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AF-00    AGRE-00  AID-00   CEA-01   CIAE-00 
      COME-00  CTME-00  DODE-00  ITCE-00  DOTE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00 
      EB-00    EXME-00  E-00     FAAE-00  FBIE-00  UTED-00  VC-00 
      FRB-00   H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   ITC-01   L-00     VCE-00 
      AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OMB-01   OPIC-01  PA-00    PM-00 
      PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SCT-00   SP-00    IRM-00   SSO-00 
      STR-00   TEST-00  TRSE-00  USIE-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00 
      DRL-01   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00   SWCI-00    /007W 
                  ------------------3A9044  241640Z /38 
O 241635Z FEB 03 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9527 
INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000407 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, HR, PBTS, PGOV, PREF, PREL 
SUBJECT: GOC MOVING FORWARD WITH DEMINING PREVLAKA 
PENINSULA, MONTENEGRIN BORDER AREAS 
 
8. BELGRADE MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. 
 
ROSSIN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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