Cablegate: Zagreb Daily Report - December 11, 2009

VZCZCXRO3722
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHVB #0725 3451348
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111348Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9726
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000725

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL HR
SUBJECT: Zagreb Daily Report - December 11, 2009

1. (U) Investigation for ICTY Documents continues: As reported in
Zagreb 724, on Wednesday, December 9, Croatian police searched
dozens of buildings and interviewed some two dozen individuals,
including some closely tied to Gotovina's defense team, looking for
artillery documents sought by the ICTY Prosecutor in connection with
1995's Operation Storm. Police report seizing some 10,000
documents, and are reviewing them to see if any are relevant to the
ICTY search. Gotovina's lawyers at the ICTY have filed a motion
with the court seeking a court order to halt the GoC from continuing
with any searches. They claim the searches were carried out at
Prosecutor Brammertz's instructions, in order to compromise the
defense case. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for today,
December 11. Further details and updates will be reported septel.

2. (U)Positive Reports on Secretary Clinton - FM Jandrokovic
Meeting: All local media reported positively on the December 10
meeting and press conference in Washington. Focus was on strong US
support for Croatia's membership in NATO and the EU. Some reports
also picked up on the Secretary's willingness to offer technical
assistance to the ICTY documents investigation, if the Croatians ask
for it.

3. (SBU)Parliament Session on Opposition Motion to Dismiss Transport
Minister: The Croatian Sabor on December 11 will debate a motion
by the opposition Social Democratic Party seeking a vote of
no-confidence in Transport Minister Bozidar Kalmeta, over recent
corruption allegations in state-run companies under his Ministry's
authority. While a long and stormy debate is expected, it is
unlikely that the opposition will be able to muster a majority of
votes against Kalmeta, a leading figure in the ruling HDZ party.
Nonetheless, a contact within one of the HDZ's coalition partners
has told us of growing unease with the situation, and hopes that
Kalmeta will resign so as not "to prolong the agony."

4. (U)Mandate of OSCE Office in Croatia extended through 2010: The
OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on December 10 approved the
extension of the OSCE Office for 2010, with its mandate unchanged.
The decision garnered little media attention on December 11. Those
that did report focused on the decision's language expressing
"appreciation of significant progress", and largely ignored the
accompanying "interpretative statement" issued by the Government of
Serbia criticizing Croatian performance.

FOLEY

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