VZCZCXRO7717
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVB #0615/01 2380910
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 250910Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8581
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000615 
 
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 - AUGUST 22, 2008 
 
¶1. (U) CROATIA COMPLETES PROCEDURES FOR ENTRY INTO FORCE OF 
SOFA: 
In a Diplomatic Note dated August 20, the Croatian Government 
has informed the Department that all internal Croatian 
procedures for entry into force of the bilateral US-Croatia 
Status of Forces Agreement have been completed.  This comes 
after publicatin of the Croatian Parliament's proclamation 
ratifying the agreement was published in Croatia's "Narodne 
Novine" (Official Register) on August 13.  The SOFA's entry 
into force marks the successful conclusion of a several-year 
long negotiating process is brought to a successful 
conclusion.  (RHoltzapple) 
 
¶2. (U) INCREASED CROATIAN ISAF CONTINGENT DEPLOYS TO 
AFGHANISTAN: 
On August 20, the Ministry of Defense held a departure 
ceremony for the 12th contingent of Croatian soldiers to 
deploy to the ISAF Mission in Afghanistan.  The deployment, 
which was covered by the local press, is part of the 
scheduled rotation that sees an increase of their contingent 
from 200 to nearly 300 peacekeepers to ISAF in 2008.  The 
head of the Defense Policy Division, Pjer Simunovic, noted in 
his remarks that the deployment was a continuation of 
Croatia's successful engagement in Afghanistan and that the 
efforts of the Croatian armed forces in ISAF are valued both 
domestically and by the international community.  The troops 
are scheduled to physcially depart Croatia this weekend, with 
US airlift assistance.  (PD'Amico) 
 
¶3. (U) MEDIA MOSTLY CRITICAL OF RUSSIAN ROLE IN GEORGIA, BUT 
MORE INTERESTED IN CONTRASTING ATTITUDES OF PRESIDENT AND 
GOVERNMENT: 
The crisis in Georgia continues to receive prominent coverage 
in Croatian media.  The majority of Croatian coverage 
condemned the Russian intervention, however, some recent 
articles have also cast blame on Georgian President 
Saakashvili for provoking the conflict.  In addition, 
Russia's local Ambassador has been in the press with 
interviews arguing that "Georgia, Not Russia, is Guilty of 
Aggression" and "It is Not Russia's Goal To Occupy Georgia." 
Most recent reporting has been highlighting the perceived 
differences in the approach of President Mesic and Prime 
Minister Sanader's government to the crisis.  Reports have 
noted that, while FM Jandrokovic was attending the NAC 
Ministerial this week and making statements in support of 
Georgia's territorial integrity, President Mesic and his 
office were writing letters to Croatia's UN Mission and 
issuing press releases stressing the need not only to end 
hostilities but to avoid isolating Russia and stating that 
"instead of breaking off contacts, we should be working on 
intensifying them."  (KWetzel/RHoltzapple) 
 
¶4. (U) PRESIDENT CRITICIZES OPPOSITION LEADER'S PLANNED VISIT 
TO BLEIBURG: 
Social Democratic Party (SDP) president, Zoran Milanovic, 
announced plans last week to visit the town of Bleiburg, 
Austria, as the head of a delegation which will include 
prominent leaders and historians from the Croatian Jewish 
community.  The stated intent of Milanovic's trip is to show 
balance in SDP's approach to crimes committed during WWII 
regardless of the victim.  Bleiburg is the city where fleeing 
Ustasa prisoners of war (pro-fascist/pro-Nazi collaborators) 
and other civilian refugees were handed over by British 
allied forces to Yugoslav Communist Partisans at the end of 
WWII.  The returnees were forced to march from Bleiburg back 
to Yugoslavia under harsh conditions.  A large, though 
disputed, number were executed or died along the way. 
President Mesic, who has refused to attend Bleiburg 
commemorations in the past, described the proposal as 
"premature" and "rash," arguing that Milanovic's trip would 
give Bleiburg -- many of whose victims were guilty of 
atrocities against Jews, Serbs, and Roma -- an equal status 
to that of Jasenovac (site of the largest concentration camp 
in Croatia during WWII).  Mesic called instead for more 
research to be done to establish the identities of the 
victims at Bleiburg and the circumstances of their deaths. 
(JNCallahan) 
 
¶5. (U) CROATIA SAYS GLOBAL TERRORISM TO BE UNSC THEME IN 
DECEMBER: 
According to press reports, the Croatian Foreign Ministry has 
agreed that the theme of it's December Presidency of the UN 
Security Council will be Global Terrorism.  No further 
details were available, but this theme was likely chosen as a 
complement to Croatia's continuing chairmanship of the UNSC's 
Counterterrorism Committee.  Post will seek more details on 
Croatian plans for December once senior policy makers have 
returned from the summer break next week.  (RHoltzapple) 
 
ZAGREB 00000615  002 OF 002 
 
 
Bradtke