VZCZCXRO7459
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVB #0990/01 2341149
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 221149Z AUG 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6537
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0026
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0003

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000990 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/SCE, WHA/CCA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2016 
TAGS: PREL NAM UNSC HR CU
SUBJECT: CHARGE EXPRESSES DISMAY AT CROATIAN PRESIDENT'S 
PLANNED TRIP TO HAVANA FOR THE NAM SUMMIT 
 
REF: ZAGREB 753 
 
Classified By: CDA Greg Delawie for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Charge called August 21 on Josko Klisovic, 
new chief of cabinet to FM Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, to 
express dismay with President Mesic's planned trip to Cuba 
for the Non-Aligned Movement Summit (reftel) as well as the 
President's characterization in the press August 18 that the 
USG did not object to his trip.  Klisovic noted that he 
understood Charge's message; that despite the President's 
interest in attending the NAM Summit Croatia's commitment to 
joining NATO has never been stronger; and that Prime Minister 
Sanader had already called the President to discuss the 
issue.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Comment:  Stjepan Mesic, the last president of the 
former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, is the 
constitutional co-creator of Croatian foreign policy together 
with Prime Minister Sanader.  Mesic, although a committed 
democrat and human rights advocate, is nostalgic for the days 
of the NAM.  He is in constant low-intensity conflict with 
the efforts of PM Sanader, who has staked his political 
future on Croatia's complete integration into Euro-Atlantic 
institutions.  End comment. 
 
¶3.  (U) On August 18 President Mesic was quoted in national 
daily Jutarnji List as stating that the USG did not 
officially object to his planned visit to the Non-Aligned 
Movement Summit in Havana next month. 
 
¶4.  (C) Charge immediately called Presidential Foreign Policy 
Advisor Tomislav Jakic to remind him that in meetings with 
Presidential Foreign Policy advisor Budimir Loncar both 
former Ambassador Frank in June and current Ambassador 
Bradtke in July had cautioned in very strong terms against a 
Mesic visit to Cuba.  Jakic said both he and the President 
understood US views about the Havana trip.  He could not 
explain why the President had raised the issue publicly in 
such a fashion.  Charge repeated that a head of state visit 
to Cuba would be a very bad idea. 
 
¶5. (C) During his August 21 call on MFA Chief of Cabinet 
Klisovic, Charge noted that the President's statement had 
caused us considerable consternation.  Charge noted:  he was 
puzzled that the head of state of a country that aspires to 
join both NATO and the EU would be attending the NAM Summit, 
even as an "observer;" any visit to Cuba by a European head 
of state will be used by the Communist regime for propaganda 
purposes to endorse its continued policies of repression; a 
Cuba visit was particularly puzzling for a champion of human 
rights such as President Mesic, especially given Croatia's 
historic efforts to cast off exactly the sort of regime under 
which the Cuban people now suffer; and finally, that he 
doubted that any of Croatia's EU partner states would be 
represented at the NAM at the senior political level. 
 
¶6. (C) Furthermore, Charge noted that two US Ambassadors had 
told the President's office exactly what we thought of his 
plans, so we were particularly upset that he publicly 
mischaracterized USG views on the trip.  He added that the 
Embassy had chosen not to respond publicly to the President's 
statements in order to keep the public temperature from 
rising on the issue; nevertheless Ambassador Bradtke was 
seeking an appointment with President Mesic immediately upon 
his return to post (NB: week of August 28) to make our 
objections clear in person. 
 
¶7. (C) Klisovic responded that he understood our concerns. 
He noted that President Mesic had stated that he wanted to 
attend the NAM Summit in order to lobby attendees as part of 
Croatia's effort to gain a non-permanent seat on the UNSC; it 
was merely a coincidence that the meeting would take place in 
Cuba.  He reminded Charge that the President was an 
independent actor under the Croatian constitution with a role 
in foreign policy co-equal to that of the Prime Minister, and 
that he and the Prime Minister did not always agree. 
 
¶8. (C) Prime Minister Sanader had already spoken to President 
Mesic about this issue, Klisovic added, although he was not 
yet aware of any outcome of that discussion.  Furthermore, we 
should not assume that Croatia's commitment to NATO had 
weakened in any way; in fact, it had never been stronger. 
Even President Mesic is now speaking to general audiences 
about the benefits and responsibilities of NATO membership, 
he said, whereas in the past Mesic had only raised the issue 
with militarily-oriented audiences. 
 
 
ZAGREB 00000990  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶9. (C) Charge also had a brief telephone conversation August 
21 with MFA State Secretary Hidajet Biscevic along the same 
lines. 
 
DELAWIE