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P 170839Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8701
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000726 
 
SENSITIVE 
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 - OCTOBER 16, 2008 
 
REF: ZAGREB 704 
 
¶1.  (U) NEW MINISTERS OF INTERIOR AND JUSTICE SWORN IN: 
New Minister of Interior Tomislav Karamarko, formerly head of 
the Security Intelligence Agency, and Minister 
of Justice, Ivan Simonovic, a law professor with a long 
diplomatic career, were approved by parliament on 
Friday, October 10 and sworn into office that afternoon. 
Opposition SDP members abstained on the vote, but 
other parliamentarians, including the second largest 
opposition party, support the nominations.  The new 
acting Police Director, Vladimir Faber, must formally apply 
for his position.  A police spokesperson also 
confirmed that former Director of Police, Marijan Benko, 
would be a new advisor to the Minister of the 
Interior.  Benko and the previous Ministers of Interior and 
Justice were fired by Prime Minister Sanader 
after the high-profile "mafia-style" murder of a local lawyer 
(REFTEL).  Prime Minister Sanader said he 
expects the newly appointed ministers and police chief to 
engage in a determined fight against organized 
crime and the mafia. (CZimmer) 
 
¶2.  (U) CROATIAN POLICY MAKERS VISIT US TO STUDY WITNESS 
FACILITATION AND ASSET FORFEITURE MODELS: 
Croatia's Attorney General, his deputy, the Director of 
Police and the Ministry of the Interior's Head of 
Public Relations, International Relations and Analytics, 
participated in an ICITAP-funded week-long study 
visit to California, October 4-11.  Although the Attorney 
General and Police Director returned to Croatia 
near the start of the trip due to a highly-publicized 
"mafia-style" murder in Zagreb which resulted in the 
firing of the Police Director and two Ministers (REFTEL), the 
remaining delegation met with the FBI, 
U.S. Marshals, and prosecutors at the federal and local 
levels to learn about U.S. models for management 
of witnesses, victims, and seized assets, as well as how law 
enforcement agencies at various levels 
cooperate with one another for successful criminal 
investigations and convictions.  Post anticipates that 
some of the practices observed on the visit will be 
incorporated in upcoming amendments and revisions to 
Croatia's Law on Police, Law on Police Authority, and the 
Criminal Procedure Act. (CZimmer) 
 
¶3. (SBU) SDP NO CONFIDENCE MOTION STILL BORN: 
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) said last week it would 
seek a no confidence motion in the government for its 
inability to tackle organized crime.  SDP leader Zoran 
Milanovic ridiculed the Prime Minister's sacking of the 
Interior and Justice Ministers in response to the murder of a 
young lawyer (REFTEL), and demanded that Prime Minister 
Sanader himself resign.  The no confidence motion has been 
added to the parliamentary agenda for October but without an 
exact date for debate.  Moreover, the motion was not well 
coordinated among other opposition parties.  Vesna Pusic, a 
senior member of the second largest pposition party (Croatian 
Peoples' Party) said that this was not the time for 
partisanship because the situation was too serious.  The 
leader of the SDP's main opposition partner in Istria also 
indicated that it would be a poor time to bring down the 
government.  President Stjepan Mesic, at many times critical 
of the Premier, also has been lukewarm to the idea of 
bringing down the government at this time. 
COMMENT: The SDP gambit comes on the heels of several weeks 
of criticism in the media for its lackluster 
return from summer vacation and the missed opportunities to 
criticize the government in September.  Its 
actions to bring down the government seem out of step with 
general public reaction to what is generally 
perceived as mob-linked killing.  Sanader's quick actions 
have largely played well in the press despite 
strong public sentiment that the government could have down 
more over the years to combat organized 
crime.  (DMeges) 
 
¶4.  (U) CROATIAN JUDICIARY DROPS CHARGES AGAINST ETHNIC SERB: 
Croatian authorities dropped war crimes charges against an 
ethnic Serb, Ernest Radjen, due to lack of 
evidence and released him from detention.  Radjen was 
arrested in Greece last year and extradited based on 
a Croatian arrest warrant based on allegations that he failed 
to prevent a 1991 massacre of some 50 
civilians, mostly women and older men, in two villages near 
the central coastal town of Zadar while 
he served as commander of military police of the former 
 
ZAGREB 00000726  002 OF 002 
 
 
Yugoslav Peoples' Army (JNA).  After a 
preliminary investigation that included interviews with 
witnesses, the Zadar County attorney's office 
lowered the charges against Radjen from war crimes to 
threatening the security of Croatia, an offense that 
was covered by an amensty law several years ago.  Radjen told 
press that since the very beginning he was 
surprised with his arrest, since he was with the JNA and not 
the local Serb rebels at the time of the 
atrocities.  Radjen thanked those Croatian civilians who 
testified on his behalf.  He spent 550 days in 
detention and his defense attorneys told the press that they 
are planning to sue the Croatian state over 
this matter.  The case is likely to strengthen calls for 
Croatia to proactively review several hundred 
cases with INTERPOL arrest warrants where the indictments or 
convictions in absentia are based on 
questionable grounds.  (CZimmer) 
 
¶5.  (U) CROATIA-SLOVENIA BORDER DISPUTE UNLIKELY TO SLOW EU 
NEGOTIATIONS: 
Outgoing Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel indicated 
on Monday October 3 that Slovenia may block 
Croatia's EU negotiations in up to five chapters because 
Croatia's negotiating positions contained 
documentation and maps that are viewed by Rupel as 
pre-judging ongoing bilateral border disputes.  The 
Croatian Foreign Ministry responded that no documentation 
submitted to the EU pre-judged the outcome of 
the border disputes and emphasized that Croatia would like to 
resolve the border issue via international 
arbitration.  A spokesman for the EU Commission emphasized 
the bilateral border dispute is unrelated to 
Croatia's EU negotiations and noted the French EU Presidency 
is working hard to forge agreement among all 
EU member states to move Croatia's EU bid along.  Croatia 
hopes the next intergovernmental conference 
with the EU, which is set for October 30, will allow for the 
opening of five additional chapters -- 
"Free Movement of Capital", "Regional Policy and the 
Coordination of Structural Instruments", "Taxation", 
"Justice, Freedom and Security", and "Environment". (DMeges) 
 
¶6.  (U) USG PARTNERS WITH CROATIANS TO FUND THREE NEW 
DEMINING PROJECTS: 
Working with the Croatian Mine Action Center (CROMAC) and the 
International Trust Fund of Slovenia (ITF), 
the Embassy approved on October 10 three new demining 
projects in Karlovac and Sibenik counties at a 
total cost of 350,000 USD.  The projects, which should be 
completed in the next two months, will clear 
mines from agricultural lands and natural springs in Karlovac 
County, while in Sibenik County the project 
will restore access to the sole water supply for two 
villages.  Although ITF-Slovenia administers the 
USG funds in order to generate matching fund donations, these 
three projects had a decidedly local 
flavor: the matching partners are almost exclusively Croatian 
and include a Sibenik Lions Club and 
Karlovac County's demining fund. (CZimmer) 
 
¶7.  (U) SACEUR CRADDOCK VISITS ZAGREB: 
General Bantz J. Craddock, the Supreme Allied Commander in 
Europe, visited Zagreb on October 14.  General 
Craddock met with President Stjepan Mesic, Prime Minister Ivo 
Sanader, Defense Minister Branko Vukelic and 
Chief of General Staff Josip Lucic.  Media covering the visit 
reported that Craddock hoped to see Croatia 
at the next NATO summit as a full member.  Sanader said 
Croatia would be a credible ally that would continue 
to contribute to international peace and security.  Minister 
Vukelic noted that membership in NATO did 
not mean that Croatia would stop cooperating with the other 
countries in the region.  Croatia's defense 
reforms and its participation in international peace 
missions, including ISAF, were also acknowledged. 
(ZTomic) 
Bradtke