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ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211457Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8326
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000382 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA 
OSD FOR POPOVICH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - MAY 21, 2008 
 
REF: ZAGREB 358 
 
¶1.  (U)USAID/CROATIA CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP: 
More than 450 people from all over Croatia attended a closing 
ceremony celebrating Croatia's graduation from SEED 
assistance held in Zagreb on May 15.  Many of the attendees 
traveled from cities throughout Croatia where USAID has 
worked, and included representatives from USAID's partners 
both within government insitutions, such as the judiciary and 
the National Competitiveness Council, as well as from civil 
society, including both civic activists and a diverse range 
of entrepreneurs.  Speakers at the event, including 
Ambassador Bradtke, USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe 
and Eurasia Doug Menarchik, and GoC Vice Prime Minister 
Jadrank Kosor, highlighted the transformation that Croatia 
has experienced over the past 15 years and the role $320 
million in USAID-administered programs have played in the 
transformation.  Ambassador Bradtke also emphasized that the 
U.S.-Croatia partnership will continue, even as USAID 
programs concludea Mission administered $320 million of that 
assistance.  Prior to the ceremony, Mr. Menarchik and Amb. 
Bradtke visited the Microsoft Business Technology Center, a 
public private partnership in Varazdin, where he met with 
small business, commercial software developers, the head of 
the center and Microsoft Croatia.  Also, at a lunch hosted by 
the American Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Menarchik delivered 
remarks on public private partnerships and the need for 
Corporate Social Responsibility.  (RLatorraca) 
 
¶2.  (U)  VISA WAIVER WORKING GROUP MOVES FORWARD: 
The GoC-Embassy Zagreb bilateral Visa Waiver Program (VWP) 
Working Group held its second meeting on May 16. Assistant 
Foreign Minister Ivica Tomic reiterated the GoC's commitment 
from the highest levels to cooperate on this issue, 
expressing hope that the supportive statements of President 
Bush on the issue of waiver during his April visit to Zagreb 
were a positive first step.  Croatian representatives 
presented their responses to an Embassy-prepared list of 
areas that the GoC needed to address as it works toward 
qualification for visa waiver.  Embassy participants stressed 
in particular that progress would be needed on the sharing of 
lost and stolen passport (LASP) data and toward issuance of 
an "e-passport" (i.e. biometric passport with an integrated 
data chip), before Croatia could be considered for inclusion 
as a potential "roadmap" country.  The GoC indicated its 
readiness to exchange diplomatic notes to allow sharing of 
LASP data and took a draft text for consideration.  Regarding 
the e-passport, the GoC took note of the fact that the key 
target is actual commencement of issuance of such passports, 
not merely the adoption of the legislation or regulations 
related to such documents.  The GoC representatives 
acknowledged they do not at present even have a formal target 
date for issuing such passports, but that even the notional 
current timeline of the latter half of 2009 would mean a long 
period before Croatia could even potentially be eligible for 
VWP.  GoC officials said the government might re-examine its 
timeline to see if acceleration were possible.  (RElvikis) 
 
¶3. (U) CROATIA CONTINUES TO EXPAND INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING 
ACTIVITIES: 
On May 15, the first two military officers that will be part 
of Croatia's contribution to the UN peacekeeping operation in 
the Golan Heights departed for the Middle East.  In June, 
they will be followed by the rest of the 95-strong Croatian 
contingent that will be replacing a Slovak detachment in the 
mission.  On May 19, Croatia's National Defense Council 
agreed to an additional peacekeeping deployment of 15 
Croatian servicement to join the EU peacekeeping mission in 
Chad in late September or early October, 2008.  (RHoltzapple) 
 
¶4. (U) RIJEKA AND TACOMA INITIATE "CITY TWINNING" ACTIVITIES: 
From May 12 to 16, a delegation from the city of Tacoma, 
Washington, visited the Croatian city of Rijeka to initiate a 
"twinning" program in which the two major port cities will 
share experiences on, inter alia, converting former 
industrial waterfronts into public spaces, methods to promote 
greater citizen participation in municipal government, 
integrating university activities into and the planning of 
showcase events and festivals.  The visit was among one of 
the very last project activities of USAID/Croatia, and should 
help initiate a sustained relationship drawing on the 
municipalities own resources.  At the conclusion of their 
visit, the visitors from Washington state invited the city 
leadership from Rijeka to come for an official visit to 
Tacoma this summer.  (RHoltzapple) 
 
¶5. (U) CROATIAN GOVERNMENT DONATES 200,000 EUROS TO CHINESE 
EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS: 
 
ZAGREB 00000382  002 OF 002 
 
 
The Government of Croatia decided on May 15 to provide 
approximately 1.5 million kuna (approx. $320,000) in 
humanitarian aid for the victims of the devastating 
earthquake in China. The aid will be sent to China via the 
Croatian Red Cross, which has already begun to raise aid for 
the victims according to the Hina news agency.  Following the 
GoC's similar donation earlier in the month (reftel) to 
Burmese cyclone victims, Croatia is gradually establishing 
itself as a regular, if small-scale, donor of international 
assistance. (PMcCabe) 
Bradtke