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  ZAGREB 000208 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR G/TIP AND EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/03/2014 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV HR
SUBJECT: CROATIA HEARS US ON TRAFFICKING 
 
REF: A. 2003 STATE 217907 
 
     ¶B. 2003 ZAGREB 1795 
     ¶C. 2003 ZAGREB 2643 
 
Classified By: Poloff Mitch Benedict for Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) On January 30, the Ambassador reviewed with Jadranka 
Kosor, Deputy Prime Minister, Croatia's record on trafficking 
in persons (TIP).  Kosor acknowledged that Croatia will need 
to address the issue better, but otherwise offered little in 
substance other than to declare that she will be our point of 
contact on TIP.  The new GOC is still organizing itself on 
this issue, but we have raised TIP at the highest levels to 
highlight its importance to the USG, and the need for Croatia 
to take action against trafficking.  End Summary. 
 
Ambassador Highlights Importance of Combating Trafficking 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) On January 30, the Ambassador raised the issue of 
TIP in his initial courtesy call with Jadranka Kosor, Deputy 
Prime Minister, and Minister for Family, Veterans Affairs, 
and Intergenerational Solidarity.  Kosor has responsibility 
for human rights issues in general, and trafficking in 
persons in particular.  The Ambassador made clear that the 
issue is a priority for the USG, and that we have been 
concerned about the Government's lack of implementation of 
its National Action Plan to suppress trafficking in persons. 
Kosor indicated her desire to work closely with us on 
anti-trafficking programs and activities. 
 
The MFA's New Found Interest 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) On January 29, we met Andrea Bekic, MFA Desk Officer 
for the US, to discuss Croatia's efforts, or lack thereof, to 
combat TIP in Croatia.  Bekic expressed concern that Croatia 
may be moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 on the annual TIP report. 
She wanted to know our intentions, as well as what Croatia 
must do to demonstrate that it is vigorously working to 
eliminate all forms of TIP.  We reviewed with Bekic the 
benchmarks (Ref A) that we delivered to the MFA and 
Government Human Rights Office in August 2003 (Ref B), and 
discussed additional measures -- such as organizational 
reforms, and additional funding -- that Croatia could take 
now to begin much needed implementation of the National 
Action Plan. 
 
¶4. (C) We learned later from the local office of the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) that the MFA 
is arguing within the government that the Government Office 
for Human Rights should be disbanded.  Presumably most of 
what the Human Rights Office considers its "competencies" -- 
such as attending international conferences and "cooperating" 
with the international community -- would fall to the MFA. 
IOM also told us that the chair of the Croatian Helsinki 
Committee met with Kosor immediately following her 
appointment, and told her the Head of the Government Office 
for Human Rights must be replaced.  In our meetings with 
Human Rights Office staff, there is clear unease and 
uncertainty about the future of the office.  We have made the 
point in our meetings with GOC interlocutors that 
coordination and cooperation is necessary and good, but the 
new government must begin to take action soon to implement 
anti-trafficking activities. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5. (C) The new government is still in the early stages of 
filling positions and assigning responsibilities, but we have 
focused the new Government early on TIP as an important USG 
interest, and confirmed that we expect the GOC to implement 
the former government's National Action Plan to combat 
trafficking.  The Ambassador raised TIP in his initial 
meetings with the Prime Minister, who demonstrated a 
familiarity with the issue and promised to provide us with a 
point of contact for further discussion.  The meeting with 
Deputy Prime Minister Kosor focused almost exclusively on 
TIP, and she twice told the Ambassador that she is our point 
of contact on TIP-related issues, although she had little of 
substance to say during the Ambassador's January 30 meeting 
with her.  Bekic's eagerness to meet on TIP may indicate an 
expanded willingness on the part of the MFA to be involved on 
the issue.  Previously only the MFA's Department of Human 
Rights engaged with us on TIP, and then mostly for the 
 
purpose of challenging the basis on which Croatia was 
included in the Department's annual TIP report (Ref C, para 
9c). 
FRANK 
 
 
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