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PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
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DE RUEHVB #1047/01 3331340
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291340Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8379
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 001047 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA 
OSD FOR WINTERNITZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - NOVEMBER 28, 2007 
 
REF: A. ZAGREB 1036 
     ¶B. ZAGREB 1028 
 
¶1. (SBU) COALITION NEGOTIATIONS GET UNDERWAY IN EARNEST: 
After the tight result in Croatia's Nov. 25 elections (REF 
A), the two major parties -- the ruling HDZ and the 
opposition SDP -- have begun a series of contacts with the 
handful of available smaller parties in an effort to attract 
the eleven or so additional votes needed for either to form a 
governing coalition of 77 members.  HDZ leader Ivo Sanader 
and SDP leader Zoran Milanovic also met separately with 
President Mesic on November 27 to discuss coalition 
possibilities.  The State Election Commission has decided it 
does not need to await the Dec. 9 re-run of voting in three 
or four small districts where ballots will have to be 
repeated to produce official preliminary results, since the 
results in those districts cannot change any of the election 
outcomes.  It provided President Mesic with those results on 
Nov. 28, confirming the seat totals previously reported. 
Mesic is now expected to begin consultations with the smaller 
parties on November 29 or 30.  It remains uncertain how soon 
it will be clear whether the HDZ or the SDP will succeed in 
forming a government.  All eyes continue to be on the 8 seats 
held by the Peasants' Party/Social Liberal Party group.  More 
details on coalition negotiations will be reported septel. 
(RHoltzapple) 
 
¶2. (U) DONATION OF POLICE EQUIPMENT FOR FUGITIVE TRACKING AND 
INFORMANT MANAGEMENT: 
On November 23, Ambassador Bradtke participated in a 
FBI-funded donation of computer equipment to Croatian police. 
 The equipment was provided with $30,000 in funds from FBI's 
SECI regional program and will be allocated to the Police's 
Criminal Directorate for its future Fugitive Task Force and 
its Informant Management Program, building on ongoing Post 
support.  Through US Marshals training (REF B) and ICITAP 
advising, Croatian police formed a temporary "ad hoc" 
fugitive tracking unit earlier this year to find a notorious 
narcotics dealer who escaped custody.  Police employed their 
Marshals training and located him within five weeks.  That 
success, along with Post advocacy, prompted the police to 
begin work on forming a permanent Fugitive Task Force.  US 
Marshals will continue to mentor the unit well into 2008. 
Post has also been cooperating with the UK Embassy to help 
police establish an informant management program.  Until 
recently, there was no formal training for handling 
informants, no formal records for gathered information, nor 
any policies or procedures on the subject.  ICITAP conducted 
informant management training in 2006 and assisted in 
developing written protocols for handlers.  This assistance 
was complemented by UK-provided equipment and training, and 
last week's donation of the FBI-funded computers. 
Cooperation with the UK will continue early next year, when 
over 100 informant handlers will be fully trained and 
equipped.  (KSelinger) 
 
¶3.  (U) "GLOBESEC EXPRESS" BRINGS NATO ENLARGEMENT MESSAGE TO 
ZAGREB: 
As part of the GLOBESEC Express project of the Slovak 
Atlantic Commission, young leaders from 11 countries in 
central and southern Europe arrived in Zagreb November 27 on 
a specially-outfitted train from Bratislava and were welcomed 
by members of the Croatian Atlantic Council and its youth 
association.  After holding a video teleconference with NATO 
SGY De Hoop Scheffer during their journey, the youth leaders 
drafted a communiquQ expressing support for integration of 
all countries of Southeast Europe into NATO and the EU and 
calling on the region's leaders to look to the future and 
cooperate in this effort.  Participants then gathered with 
local political science students and Croatian Atlantic 
Council members for presentation of the communiquQ and 
messages of encouragement from the Croatian MFA, NATO IS, and 
the US and Slovak Embassies.  The GLOBSEC project was 
supported by NATO, the Slovak MFA, and the US and EC missions 
in Bratislava. (TSelinger) 
 
¶4. (U) SEMINAR ON PORT AUTHORITIES FOSTERS CIV-MIL 
COOPERATION: 
Bilateral Affairs Office-Croatia along with the Croatian Navy 
hosted the seminar "Emergency Operations with Port 
Authorities" at the Naval Base Lora in Split.  This seminar 
included participants from the Croatian Navy and Air Force, 
Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Traffic and 
Development and the National Protection and Rescue 
Directorate.  The US Coast Guard presented information 
regarding Search and Rescue from the international and NATO 
perspective.  Discussions included flight operations, 
 
ZAGREB 00001047  002 OF 002 
 
 
international agreements, as well as use of radar and other 
communications procedures.  The seminar was a great example 
of the military working with civilian agencies.  Coordination 
with governmental and non-governmental organizations in 
planning and training for disaster response is very important 
to maintaining civilian-military cooperation in Croatia. 
(GScofield) 
BRADTKE