Cablegate: Zagreb Weekly Activity Report-October 8, 2009

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PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHVB #0612 2821242
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091242Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9579
INFO RUCNMUC/EU CANDIDATE STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000612

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MASS PREF HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT-OCTOBER 8, 2009

1.(U) AMBASSADOR HOSTS AMCHAM BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The
Executive Director and AmCham board in Zagreb joined
Ambassador Foley at his residence 7 October for a detailed
discussion of Croatia's business climate and the challenges
faced by foreign investors. The participants described an
oversized and inefficient bureaucracy as Croatia's central
problem affecting the investment climate. According to the
guests, this results in some of the highest taxes in Europe,
and makes room for patronage and corruption as individuals
attempt to circumvent the bureaucratic roadblocks placed
before them. The Ambassador asked the participants to think
concretely about reforms that could be suggested to the GoC.
He also promised to work closely with AmCham during his
tenure to help the government improve the business climate.
He concluded by saying that Croatia has remarkable advantages
in human capital and natural resources that could be the
foundation for lasting prosperity if the country's problems
can be effectively addressed. (DWestfall)

2. (U) TRAINING FOR CROATIAN STATE PROSECUTORS ON CROSS
EXAMINATION TECHNIQUES: Embassy Zagreb is hosting
cross-examination seminars for Croatian prosecutors and
judges. The first week-long course has 29 participants (28
state prosecutors and one judge) and the second week will
have 21 participants (17 prosecutors and four judges).
ICITAP trainers, William K. DelGrosso, Sarajevo Law
Enforcement Legal Adviser and Jonathan Ferrari, Sarajevo
Police Adviser are providing a condensed, yet in-depth
course, for the two groups. Croatian prosecutors requested
the training after changes to the legal code allowed for
cross-examinations as of July 2009. The seminar addresses
the purpose and goals of cross examination, techniques, and
differences between direct and cross examinations. The
course addresses all aspects of the cross-examination
process, and deals with subjects such as case preparation,
courtroom presentation, witness preparation, tactics and
other important aspects of the Croatian legal system. Mock
courtroom simulations are incorporated in the training to
allow participants to obtain practical experience in this
discipline. (CZimmer)

3. (U) U.S. DIPLOMATS ADDRESS ETHNIC RECONCILIATION
CHALLENGES DURING TRIP TO EASTERN CROATIA: DCM Walker and
Entry Level Personnel (ELPs) addressed the challenges of
reconciliation among ethnically divided communities during a
October 2 trip to war affected eastern Croatia. U.S. Mission
personnel conducted a field visit to an integrated Croat,
Serb and Roma rural elementary school in Jagodnjak, near
Vukovar, whose families were displaced during the war. DCM
Walker presented a donation of musical instruments for 85
students funded through an ELP sponsored grant from the J.
Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust at the school. The embassy
visitors also joined in a basketball game with Jagodnjak
students. The group then visited the Coalition for Work,
Psychotrauma and Peace (CWPP) in Vukovar, an NGO specializing
in training and treatment of issues related to psychological
trauma in war torn areas and ethnic reconciliation. The CWPP
briefed them on the current political, social and economic
challenges preventing greater reconciliation between Croats
and Serbs in the region (TBullock)
FOLEY

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