Cablegate: Zagreb Weekly Report- October 2, 2009

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P 021507Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9564
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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UNCLAS ZAGREB 000600

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MASS PREF HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY REPORT- OCTOBER 2, 2009

1. (SBU) MAYOR BANDIC SAYS THE RIGHT THINGS ABOUT CROATIA AND
EUROPE; PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS?
During an initial courtesy call with the Ambassador on
September 28, four-term Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic described
the relationship between the city of Zagreb and the Embassy
as excellent. He also expressed his appreciation for the US
role in supporting Croatia,s accession to NATO, and noted
that Croatia "will not forget its US ties" as it joins the
EU. Bandic also said all the right things about the need for
Croatia to take a constructive approach toward Bosnia, noting
that in the interest of regional stability Croatia is
committed to finding a way forward. This is not the time for
"nationalist rhetoric," but rather for cooperation and open
communication among all interested parties, Bandic affirmed.
Bandic was a little less direct about his own presidential
ambitions, refusing to declare himself one way or another.
However, in describing his own accomplishments Bandic painted
a portrait of an ideal presidential candidate, noting, for
example, that he was most proud of the fact that during his
recent re-election campaign he received a letter of support
signed by representatives of 16 ethnic minorities. Bandic's
subsequent comments on the upcoming presidential race sounded
a lot like a campaign speech. Beginning with the observation
that "the people of Zagreb elected the mayor they wanted to
see," he went on to note that "all the (declared)
presidential candidates are good... but there will be more...
the people will choose the best... Croatia wants a normal
person who will unite the people and leave ideology behind
while retaining dignity." Bandic went on: "The war (of the
90s) is behind us. We are opening a new page. Whoever has
the best vision will collect the people around that vision."
In short, Bandic was ambiguously unambiguous about his
presidential aspirations. (VWALKER)

2. (U) FIRST ROUND OF SHIPYARD PRIVATIZATIONS FALLS FLAT
The State Privatization Fund (HFP) sold 32 sets of tender
documents for the purchase of six shipyards, but received
only two valid bids by the submission deadline on September
30, 2009. Trogir-based "More Trogir" consortium submitted a
bid for the Brodotrogir shipyard of Trogir, and Zagreb-based
"Adria Mar Brodogradnja" submitted a bid for the Split BSO
shipyard. Adria Mar, despite not being willing to
participate in the restructuring as required by the tender,
has submitted a letter of intent from the Libyan Government,
stating that Libya intends to order patrol boats for its
Coast Guard from the BSO shipyard, should Adria Mar be
awarded the tender. More Trogir, however, has no intention
of preserving shipbuilding activities and plans to convert
the shipyard into a tourist resort. According to various
sources, none of the bids will be accepted because they do
not fully satisfy all conditions initially set for the
privatization tender. Upon reviewing the bids, Deputy Prime
Minister Polancec stated, "It has become apparent now that
the shipbuilding problems are much greater than stated in the
informative memo issued last year. However, there is no
alternative to continuing with the restructuring and we need
to prepare a second round of privatization as soon as
possible." (DMATIJAS)

3. (U) ICTY CHIEF PROSECUTOR VISITS CROATIA
On September 28 and 29, Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz from
the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) met with Croatian officials regarding the missing
documents his office requested from Croatia in the ongoing
trial of three Croatian generals. Brammertz, in an interview
with Vecernji List newspaper, said that the missing documents
remain the "key problem" in the country,s cooperation with
ICTY. The GoC, in a statement after Brammertz's talks with
Prime Minister Kosor, said that the Croatian government is
willing to meet all requests from the Hague war crimes
tribunal's prosecution and take all steps necessary to make
its cooperation with the tribunal as successful as possible.
Brammertz also held a briefing for the diplomatic corps and
said that little progress has been made since his last visit
in June, but that Croatian officials promised to undertake
additional efforts to search for the documents. Septel
reports on Justice Minister Simonovic's Oct. 2 discussions
with the Ambassador on how the GoC will try to address
Brammertz's criticisms. (CZIMMER)
FOLEY

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