Cablegate: Zagreb Daily Activity Report: January 13, 2010

VZCZCXRO7708
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHVB #0030 0140808
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140808Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9810
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000030

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT: JANUARY 13, 2010

1. (U) PM KOSOR MEETING WITH SLOVENE PM PAHOR TODAY: Prime
Minister Jadranka Kosor is traveling to Kranjska Gora in
Slovenia today for a working lunch with Slovenian PM Borut
Pahor. Topics for discussion will include the status of the
Slovenia-Croatia Arbitration Agreement for the border
dispute, which has been ratified by Croatia but is still
pending ratification in Slovenia. The PMs will also discuss
next steps regarding the three EU accession negotiation
chapters (environment, fisheries, and foreign policy) that
Slovenia still has not permitted the EU to open with Croatia.
Croatian media reported a statement earlier this week by a
Slovene MFS spokesman indicating that Slovenia expected the
three chapters would be able to be opened in the second half
of February.

2. (U) EXTENSIVE POSITIVE MEDIA COVERAGE ON OBAMA'S LETTER TO
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOSIPOVIC: All major Croatian newspapers ran
positive coverage about President Barack Obama's January 12
letter of congratulations to President-elect Ivo Josipovic.
Many of the papers printed the entire text of the letter and
highlighted U.S. support for Croatia's EU accession and
reform efforts.

3. (U) FREEDOM HOUSE RAISES CROATIA'S RATING ON POLITICAL
RIGHTS: Croatia improved its rating on political rights and
freedom in the latest edition of Freedom in the Word, the
annual survey of global political rights and civil liberties
by the U.S. based NGO Freedom House. The report raised
Croatian's rating for political rights to the highest
category (1 on a 7 point scale) because of the GoC's work on
minority rights for both Serbian and Roma communities in
Croatia. Croatia's rating for civil liberties remained at 2.
Croatian media noted that Croatia now shares the same
ratings as EU members Italy and Greece, and is rated higher
than Bulgaria or Romania.

4. (U) FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN CROATIA DOWN 28% TO $2.46
BILLION, SAYS NATIONAL BANK: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
in Croatia amounted to $2.46 billion (1.7 billion EURO)
according to data released by the Croatian National Bank
January 12. Overall investment in the first three quarters
of 2009 declined by 28.2 percent compared with the same
period in 2008. Wholesale trade, banking, and trade
intermediation account for 76% of FDI in Croatia. The
biggest foreign investors in Croatia for the first nine
months of 2009 were the Netherlands, Austria, and Luxembourg.
FOLEY

© Scoop Media