VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVB #0749/01 3551452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211452Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9755
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000749 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
PLEASE PASS TO EUR/SCE, S/CT: RHONDA SHORE, AND NCTC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PGOV ASEC PREL EFIN CR
SUBJECT: CROATIA: 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM 
 
REF: SECSTATE 109980 
 
¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, the following is Embassy Zagreb's 
submission for the 2009 Croatia Country Report on Terrorism: 
 
Croatia 
 
There were no terrorist attacks in Croatia during 2009.  As 
part of international efforts to counter violent extremists, 
Croatia had approximately 300 troops participating in the 
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 
Afghanistan.  Croatia joined NATO in April and began 
contributing to the Alliance's counterterrorism efforts as a 
member. 
 
In 2009 Croatia started the drafting process for an action 
plan to implement Croatia's national strategy for the 
prevention and suppression of terrorism.  Croatian expanded 
its extensive counterterrorism legal framework by passing the 
Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act which 
entered into force in January.  In March, Croatia also 
adopted a new regulation on the internal organization of the 
Ministry of Finance.  This restructuring resulted in the 
Anti-Money Laundering Office establishing a number of 
departments such as an International Cooperation Department, 
an Information System and Strategic Analysis Department, a 
Prevention and Supervision of the Reporting Entities 
Department, and a Financial Intelligence Analysis Department, 
which includes a Suspicious Transactions Division and a 
Division for Analytic Processing of Transactions and a 
Terrorist Financing. 
 
The Croatian Interagency Working Group on Suppression of 
Terrorism amended its mandate adding UNSCR -1624 to the UNSC 
Resolutions it was already charged with implementing such as 
UNSCRs 1267, 1373 and 1566.  The Interagency Working Group 
also broadened its membership, by including a number of new 
entities such as the Office of the National Security Council, 
the Office for Human Rights, the Ministry of Tourism, the 
Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency, and the 
Agency for Public-Private Partnership. 
 
Croatia is currently issuing biometric passports, and 
starting in July 2010 all new passports will be required to 
be biometric.  In addition, as part of its negotiations to 
join the Visa Waiver Program Croatia signed a number of 
agreements in 2009 with the United States that strengthened 
information sharing and cooperation between U.S. and Croatian 
immigration, law enforcement, and security agencies.  Croatia 
also worked with EXBS to improve security along its 750 mile 
border with Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia as well as to 
monitor the country's 6,000 miles of coastline. 
 
In 2009 Croatia chaired the UN Security Council's 
Counter-Terrorism Committee. Croatia supported U.S. efforts 
in the 1267 Sanctions Committee on Al Qaeda and Taliban. 
Croatia also advocated providing further financial support to 
the work of the Counterterrorism Implementation Task Force 
(CTITF).  Croatia cooperated with the CTC,s Executive 
Directorate on the preliminary assessment of national 
implementation of UNSCR 1373, and UN experts recognized 
Croatia's achievements in this field. 
 
The multinational special forces military exercise "Jackal 
Stone 09" held in September in Croatia had approximately 1500 
participants from 10 countries, including the United States, 
and developed the capabilities of the participants in 
countering terrorism. 
 
Within the EU accession process Croatia cooperates closely 
with the European Union so that its national counterterrorism 
efforts are being kept in line with the requirements of the 
EU acquis communautaire, as well as with the official EU 
justice and home affairs and common foreign and security 
policies. 
 
During 2009 Croatia also chaired the Council of Europe's 
Committee of Counterterrorism Experts (CODEXTER).  Following 
up on a Croatian initiative to develop cross-regional 
cooperation in counterterrorism, the CoE, Spain and the 
Organization of American States jointly organized a 
Conference on Cyber Security in Spain in April.  Under the 
CODEXTER's umbrella Croatia also keeps an updated 
self-assessing Country Profile that summarizes Croatia's 
counterterrorism activities. 
 
Croatia worked closely with the OSCE's Action against 
Terrorism Unit (ATU). This resulted in a joint Croatian OSCE 
workshop addressing cyber-security issues such as terrorist 
use of the Internet, held in Zagreb in November.  More than 
140 national representatives as well as 20 internationally 
recognized experts from academia, business, and government 
participated in this event. 
 
¶2. (U) The Embassy POC is Peter D'Amico, 
(D'Amicopn@state.gov). 
WALKER