VZCZCXYZ0012
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #8821 0562246
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 252243Z FEB 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY ZAGREB PRIORITY 9830

UNCLAS STATE 018821 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE SIPDIS - ZAGREB FOR BELGRADE 
 
THE FOLLOWING USUN NEW YORK 000170 DTD 22FEB08 SENT ACTION 
SECSTATE INFO NATO EU COLLECTIVE UN SECURITY COUNCIL 
COLLECTIVE BELGRADE ZAGREB USEU BRUSSLES PRISTINA REPEATED 
FOR ACTION 25FEB08 
 
 
QUOTE: 
 
 
UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC HR UNMIK GG IR
SUBJECT: CROATIAN PERMREP JURICA DISCUSSES KOSOVO, IRAN AND 
GEORGIA 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Croatian Permrep Jurica assured Ambassador Khalilzad 
on February 21 that Croatia's positions in the Security 
Council will generally be in line with those of the U.S. and 
the mainstream of the EU. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Khalilzad thanked Jurica for Croatia's helpful 
statement in the February 18 public meeting on Kosovo and 
asked how soon Croatia would be ready to recognize the new 
state.  Jurica said Kosovo is a difficult issue for Croatia 
because of its border with both Serbia and Bosnia's Republika 
Srpska, adding that Croatia's Serb minority wants the 
Croatian government to be prudent.  However, Jurica said 
Croatia would recognize Kosovo within one or two weeks. 
Khalilzad responded that we hoped Croatia could recognize 
Kosovo soon. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Jurica said Croatia has no difficulties with the 
draft resolution on Iran, including the paragraph related to 
cargo.  He said that his predecessor had not received 
permission from Zagreb to join the Security Council's working 
group on Georgia as the MFA believed joining both the Balkans 
and Georgia groups might complicate relations with Russia. 
Jurica said he had convinced the MFA to allow Croatia to join 
the Georgia group soon. 
 
KHALILZAD 
UNQUOTE:  RICE