Cablegate: Croatia Promotes Regional Cooperation for Transport Of

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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVB #0275 0811448
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221448Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7440
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000275

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ETTC HR REGIONAL ISSUES
SUBJECT: CROATIA PROMOTES REGIONAL COOPERATION FOR TRANSPORT OF
RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY

1. (U) The Croatian State Institute for Radiation Protection, and
the Office for Nuclear Safety, organized a March 20-21 meeting of
representatives from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia,
Montenegro and Macedonia to discuss cooperation in the control of
transport of heavy metal waste and shipments contaminated by
radioactive substances or containing a radioactive source.
Institute head Dragan Kubelka told the press that the group plans to
draw up an international agreement on information exchange, and that
this would be the first such agreement in Europe. There are plans
to expand it to include Albania, Turkey, Greece and Romania.

2. (SBU) Embassy Zagreb's EXBS advisor has encouraged this type of
cooperation over the past year, working closely with both offices.
At a March 21 reception for regional participants at the meeting,
both the Nuclear Safety and the Radiation Protection office
directors expressed gratitude for ongoing EXBS support but also
noted their pride in regional ownership of this initiative, which
was planned and conducted without U.S. or EU direction or
involvement. EXBS programs are a critical component in building
the capacity and confidence necessary for this kind of responsible
regional leadership.

BRADTKE

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