This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000836 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2013 
TAGS: PHUM HR HRPHUM
SUBJECT: ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED? -- CROATIA FLOATS NATIONAL 
STRATEGY FOR ROMA 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLOFF MITCH BENEDICT FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  THE GOC INITIATED A COMMENT AND DISCUSSION 
PERIOD FOR A DRAFT NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR ROMA IN MARCH, AND 
WOULD LIKE TO FINALIZE THE PLAN BY THE FALL.  NGOS TELL US 
THE DRAFT PLAN IS A WELCOME EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE SEVERE 
OBSTACLES FACED BY THE ROMA IN CROATIA, BUT FALLS SHORT ON 
THE DETAILS AND FUNDING.  PRONE TO RELY ON EXPRESSIONS OF 
INTENT WHEN IT COMES TO ADDRESSING BROAD SOCIAL PROBLEMS, 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  00836  01 OF 02  151548Z 
SUCH AS ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL STRATEGY, IT REMAINS TO BE 
SEEN IF THE GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTIONS TO 
IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ROMA IN CROATIA.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) ANTE SIMONIC, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, ASSEMBLED A 
WORKING GROUP LATE LAST YEAR TO DRAFT A NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR 
ROMA.  THE GOC OFFICE FOR NATIONAL MINORITIES IS PLAYING A 
COORDINATING ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL 
STRATEGY, AND HAS RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM OSCE/OHIDR AND THE 
COUNCIL OF EUROPE.  ON MARCH 12 THE GOVERNMENT HELD A PUBLIC 
ROUNDTABLE TO PRESENT THE DRAFT NATIONAL STRATEGY, AND 
SIMONIC ANNOUNCED THERE WOULD BE A PERIOD OF PUBLIC 
DISCUSSION AND COMMENT BEFORE A FINAL REPORT WOULD BE 
PRESENTED TO THE GOVERNMENT.  ONCE THE GOVERNMENT APPROVES 
THE REPORT IT WILL BE PRESENTED TO PARLIAMENT FOR ADOPTION. 
MLENA KLAJNER, ACTING HEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT OFFICE FOR 
NATIONAL MINORITIES, TOLD US THE NATIONAL STRATEGY IS NOT 
LIKELY TO BE ADOPTED BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. 
 
¶3. (U) THE DRAFT NATIONAL STRATEGY CONTAINS A LONG LIST OF 
LARGELY GOVERNMENT-DIRECTED ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION, 
GOVERNANCE, SOCIAL WELFARE, EMPLOYMENT, INTERNAL AFFAIRS, 
CULTURE, AND HOUSING.  THE PROPOSED ACTIVITIES CONSIST OF 
LONG-TERM, MEDIUM-TERM, AND SHORT-TERM TASKS THAT ARE TO BE 
UNDERTAKEN BY GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS, NGOS, 
AND THE ROMA COMMUNITY.  ROMA REPRESENTATIVES ARE TO BE 
SYSTEMATICALLY INVOLVED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN 
THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT, AND THROUGH 
THE COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL PROGRAM 
FOR ROMA.  THE COMMITTEE, TO CONSIST OF NINE REPRESENTATIVES 
OF RELEVANT MINISTRIES AND GOVERNMENT OFFICES, SEVEN 
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PAGE 03        ZAGREB  00836  01 OF 02  151548Z 
REPRESENTATIVES FROM ROMA COUNCILS, AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE 
FROM A HUMAN RIGHTS NGO, WILL MEET "AS NECESSARY" TO MONITOR 
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL STRATEGY. 
 
¶4. (C) THE CROATIA HELSINKI COMMITTEE (HHO), THE MOST ACTIVE 
HUMAN RIGHTS NGO IN CROATIA WORKING ON ROMA ISSUES, TOLD US 
THAT WHILE THE GOVERNMENT IS WELL-INTENTIONED THE NATIONAL 
STRATEGY IS REALLY ADDRESSING "LUXURY ITEMS" RATHER THAN 
BASIC NEEDS, AND IS BETTER SUITED TO A DEVELOPED COUNTRY 
RATHER THAN CROATIA.  HHO FURTHER FAULTED THE GOC FOR NOT 
TAKING A HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH TO THE DOCUMENT, AND FOR NOT 
INCLUDING ANYONE FROM OUTSIDE THE GOVERNMENT IN THE INITIAL 
DRAFTING.  ON THE OTHER HAND, HHO PRAISED THE GOC FOR THE 
EFFORT, CITING IT AS THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS 
PROBLEMS FACING THE ROMA POPULATION IN CROATIA.  HHO WILL 
CLOSELY MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL STRATEGY. 
"CHILDREN FIRST," A LOCAL NGO WITH LONG EXPERIENCE IN WORKING 
WITH THE ROMA, REJECTED WHAT IT TERMED THE "GHETTOIZATION" 
INHERENT IN SEPARATE SOLUTIONS FOR THE ROMA PROPOSED IN THE 
NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR PROBLEMS FACED BY ALL THOSE IN POVERTY. 
 WHILE WELCOME, PROPOSED EFFORTS TO EXPAND EARLY CHILDHOOD 
EDUCATION WERE CRITICIZED AS NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH. 
 
¶5. (C) ROMA NGOS SUCCESSFULLY HELD A FIRST CONGRESS OF ROMA 
IN CROATIA IN FEBRUARY 2003 AND UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED THE 
NATIONAL STRATEGY.  HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO HHO, ROMA VIEW THE 
NATIONAL STRATEGY AS "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT."  AS A 
DISEMPOWERED COMMUNITY, ROMA SUPPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT IS A 
GIVEN.  UNFORTUNATELY, ROMA NGOS ARE FRACTIOUS AND NUMEROUS 
-- CERTAINLY IN COMPARISON TO THEIR SMALL NUMBER, PERHAPS 
30-40,000 IN THE CROATIAN POPULATION AS A WHOLE -- AND HAVE 
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PAGE 04        ZAGREB  00836  01 OF 02  151548Z 
DIFFICULTY IN WORKING TOGETHER IN PURSUIT OF COMMON GOALS. 
NON-ROMA NGOS THAT ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED ON ROMA ISSUES ARE 
UNANIMOUS IN THEIR VIEW THAT THE ROMA ARE INCAPABLE OF 
EFFECTIVELY WORKING ON THEIR OWN BEHALF.  BOJAN MUNJIN, WHO 
FOLLOWS ROMA ISSUES FOR THE HHO, SAID THE ROMA WERE A "SAD 
AND DEPRESSED COMMUNITY" WHO ARE SO POORLY EDUCATED THAT THEY 
HAVEN'T "THE TOOLS OR IMPLEMENTS" TO FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS. 
KLAJNER TOLD US THERE ARE OVER 50 ROMA NGOS, AND THAT A 
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY GIVEN TO THOSE NGOS ENDS UP IN 
PRIVATE POCKETS, AN ASSESSMENT SHARED BY MANY IN THE DONOR 
COMMUNITY.  SHE SAID IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR DIFFERENT 
BROTHERS IN THE SAME FAMILY TO HEAD UP SEPARATE AND COMPETING 
NGOS. 
 
¶6. (C) BLANKA SHEGOVIC, DIRECTOR OF "CHILDREN FIRST," HAS 
WORKED WITH THE ROMA COMMUNITY FOR AT LEAST SEVEN YEARS, 
ESTABLISHING PLAY GROUPS AND PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO 
HELP ROMA CHILDREN STAY IN SCHOOL.  SHE TOLD US THAT FEW ROMA 
NGOS ARE ENGAGED IN ACTIVITIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ROMA 
COMMUNITY, BUT RATHER EXIST AS A MEANS FOR THE LEADER TO 
ESTABLISH A POWER BASE SECURED BY FUNDING PROVIDED BY DONORS. 
 MANY ROMA DO NOT WANT NON-ROMA NGOS INVOLVED IN ROMA ISSUES. 
 SHEGOVIC RECALLED AN ENCOUNTER THAT ILLUSTRATED THE POINT, 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ0567 
 
PAGE 01        ZAGREB  00836  02 OF 02  151548Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00  SRPP-00 
      EB-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    LAB-01   L-00     NSAE-00 
      NSCE-00  OIC-02   OPIC-01  PA-00    PRS-00   P-00     SP-00 
      SS-00    STR-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00  ECA-00   PRM-00   DRL-01 
      G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00   SWCI-00    /005W 
                  ------------------563401  151646Z /38 
R 151547Z APR 03 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9965 
INFO EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES COLLECTIVE 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000836 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2013 
TAGS: PHUM HR HRPHUM
SUBJECT: ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED? -- CROATIA FLOATS NATIONAL 
STRATEGY FOR ROMA 
 
AND LEFT HER SPEECHLESS: A ROMA NGO LEADER COMPLAINED TO HER 
"YOU ARE GETTING RICH ON OUR CHILDREN WHEN IT SHOULD BE US 
GETTING RICH ON OUR CHILDREN."  MOST ROMA NGO LEADERS NEVER 
COMPLETED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND SEVERAL ARE ILLITERATE.  OF 
THE ENTIRE ROMA POPULATION OF CROATIA, ESTIMATES ARE THAT NOT 
MORE THAN 100 CHILDREN ARE ATTENDING SECONDARY SCHOOLS. 
 
¶7. (C) COMMENT:  THE GOC HAS A RECORD OF TRYING TO ADDRESS 
BROAD SOCIAL PROBLEMS -- GENDER, TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, AND 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  00836  02 OF 02  151548Z 
NOW THE ROMA -- VIA NATIONAL STRATEGIES.  INVARIABLY THEY 
DESCRIBE A LARGE NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES, BUT ARE SHORT ON 
DETAIL, AND CONTAIN UNREALISTIC DEADLINES AND VAGUE LINES OF 
RESPONSIBILITY.  IN ADDITION, FUNDING FOR ACTIVITIES IS 
USUALLY NOT ADDRESSED.  THE ROMA STRATEGY INCLUDES SOME 
SPECIFIC BUDGET ESTIMATES; WE COUNTED OVER $4 MILLION FOR 
ACTIVITIES IN 2003 ALONE, BUT THERE IS NO INDICATION WHERE 
THAT MONEY WILL COME FROM, OR IF THE GOC WILL BE ABLE TO 
ALLOCATE FUNDING FOR ACTIVITIES THIS YEAR.  NATIONAL 
STRATEGIES SOUND GOOD IN THEORY, BUT AT THEIR BEST THEY 
REMAIN AN EXPRESSION OF INTENT -- WHETHER OR NOT THE GOC WILL 
FOLLOW THROUGH WITH CONCRETE ACTION ON ISSUES OF CONCERN TO 
THE ROMA REMAINS TO BE SEEN.  END COMMENT. 
ROSSIN 
 
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