VZCZCXRO3519
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVB #0232/01 1201506
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301506Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9182
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/RPM AND EUR/ERA 
OSD FOR POPOVICH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KFLU MARR MASS KPAO HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT - APRIL 30, 2009 
 
¶1.  (U) WORK STARTS ON CROATIAN SUPPORTED CIVILIAN 
ASSISTANCE PROJECT IN AFGHANISTAN: 
On April 26 Croatian civilians serving in the PRT working 
with the government of Afghanistan and local officials in 
the Feyzabad district of Badakhshan province took part in a 
ground breaking ceremony for a health center.  The 
government of Croatia funded the project in cooperation 
with IOM and it is expected to last about 24 weeks.  The 
MFA noted in a statement that this project was part of 
Croatia's long-term support of Afghanistan, which also 
included its participation in ISAF and EUPOL.  (PD'Amico) 
 
¶2.  (U) AMBASSADOR BRADTKE ADDRESSES PARLIAMENTARY CONFLICT 
OF INTEREST COMMITTEE: 
Ambassador Bradtke and European Commission Chief of 
Delegation Vincent Degert spoke to the members of the 
Parliamentary Committee for Suppression of Conflict of 
Interest on April 27.  The visit came at the urging of 
Antun Zorislav Petrovic, the Head of Transparency 
International's Office in Croatia and a member of the 
committee.  Since the committee is a newly established 
body, which began operations in October 2008, Petrovic 
invited Bradtke and Degert to share US and EU experiences, 
models, and best practices with regard to ethic rules. 
(VDjukic/CZimmer) 
 
¶3.  KOSOVO'S SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT VISITS ZAGREB: 
Jakup Krasniqi, Kosovo's Speaker of Parliament, met with 
President Mesic on April 29 and discussed relations between 
the two countries.  During the meeting, Mesic repeated the 
reasons why Croatia recognized Kosovo's independence and 
expressed the belief that relations between the two 
countries would continue to strengthen.  Krasniqi discussed 
the current situation in Kosovo and noted that Pristina's 
goal was to build a state where all citizens would be 
equal.  In a separate meeting with his Croatian 
counterpart, Luka Bebic, the two discussed bilateral 
issues, challenges confronting the region, as well as 
problems both countries were experiencing on the path to 
the EU.  Bebic noted that Croatia would assist others in 
the region on the process of European integration with 
"good will and good intentions" and that Zagreb wanted to 
help stabilize Kosovo.  During Krasniqi's meeting with 
Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, both sides stated 
relations between Croatia and Kosovo were excellent but 
that economic relations should be strengthened.  Krasniqi 
thanked Croatia for its support and expressed satisfaction 
with the current cooperation.  (PD'Amico) 
 
¶4.  (U) MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HIGHLIGHTS ONGOING JUDICIAL 
REFORMS: 
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on April 28 presented a list 
of current and planned judicial reform projects to the 
representatives of embassies and international 
organizations in Croatia.  The projects total EUR 42 
million and are aimed at insuring the independence and 
efficiency of the judiciary.  The MOJ called upon the 
International Community to provide assistance, either by 
funding the projects or by providing experts, but did not 
announce how much the Croatian Government will contribute 
to the efforts.  The projects target capacity building, 
shortening the length of court proceedings, reducing 
backlogs, improving the criminal justice system, improving 
the prison system, improving the system for selection and 
education of judicial professionals, and expanding access 
to justice for all citizens.  (VDjukic/CZimmer) 
 
¶5.  (U) AMBASSADOR BRADTKE FEATURED ON CALL IN RADIO 
PROGRAM: 
Ambassador Bradtke was the featured guest on Radio 101's 
Corps Diplomatique, a weekly international affairs program 
hosted by one of Croatia's most renowned journalists.  In a 
wide-ranging interview covering the latest in U.S., 
European and Croatian news, the Ambassador discussed 
Croatia's full membership in NATO, U.S. foreign policy, and 
the first 100 days of the Obama Administration.  The 
Ambassador also took live calls from the public during the 
one hour program.  (KWetzel) 
 
¶6.  (U)ZAGREB HOSTS ANTI-DISCRIMINATION CONFERENCE: 
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), 
Croatian Judicial Academy, and the Croatian Law Center 
organized a conference on anti-discrimination measures on 
April 27 that gathered Croatian prosecutors, ombudsmen, 
foreign Embassies, international organizations, defense 
attorneys, judges, and media representatives.  Participants 
largely agreed that Croatia has accepted all important 
international agreements and has enhanced domestic 
 
ZAGREB 00000232  002 OF 002 
 
 
legislation regarding the suppression of all forms of 
discrimination.  Croatia also enacted a special law on the 
Suppression of Discrimination which became effective as of 
January 2009.  However, the number of final convictions 
under the law is still low, which indicates that domestic 
legal practitioners have problems recognizing what 
constitutes discrimination.  Several decisions of the 
Croatian Constitutional and Supreme Courts as well as 
decisions of the European Court for Human Rights and 
European Court of Justice were presented as positive 
examples in recognizing discrimination.  To ensure that 
domestic legislation is implemented and international 
standards on suppression of discrimination are followed, 
however, requires more training for judges, prosecutors, 
members of relevant state institutions, and civil society 
groups, according to participants.  (VDjukic/CZimmer) 
 
¶7.  (U) U.S. EMBASSY ZAGREB ENGAGES AUDIENCE WITH A NEW 
OUTREACH TOOL - TED TALK EVENT: 
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Zagreb 
launched a new initiative under its Embassy Outreach 
Program -- monthly TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) 
Talks events.  The first event took place in the American 
Corner Zagreb on April 27, with the TED Talks video 
featuring Jonathan Haidt on "The Real Difference Between 
Liberals and Conservatives."  Participants from different 
fields engaged in a lively and open discussion on the five 
moral values forming the basis of our political views and 
how individuals see and evaluate them on the basis of their 
own political stand point.  This new PAS Zagreb outreach 
event drew strong interest among Croatia's young 
professionals, an audience that the Embassy often finds 
hard to reach, and was covered in the press. (MCrnjakovic) 
 
¶8.  (U) GOC PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE SWINE FLU OUTBREAK, BUT 
NO CONFIRMED CASES SO FAR: 
The prime minister and other officials have made statements 
to assure the public Croatia is prepared for a possible 
swine flu outbreak. Croatia has 600,000 doses of anti-viral 
drugs, and the GOC planned to secure 200,000 more doses. 
Despite at least one suspicious case, no cases have been 
confirmed thus far.  The health minister said any 
additional suspicious cases would be quarantined at a 
designated clinic in Zagreb for diagnosis. In a negative 
development, the GOC issued an ordinance banning 
importation of live pigs and certain pork and swine-related 
products from North and South America. (SLitke) 
BRADTKE