The Number 143 COURIERNewsletter of the OSCE Office in Zagreb March/April 2009

For Ever - OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - HoO in Vienna - NATO entry celebration - Meeting in the MoJ and NGOs report on war crimes procedures - HoO meets Zagreb County Court President - Interview with Kristijan Turkalj, Head of Department for European Union and Human Rights, Ministry of Justice - South Eastern Europe Regional Heads of Missions Meeting - Farewell reception for Ambassador Fuentes Words by the Head of Office: For ever Croatia

ne always has an impression States, from the U.S. and Canada to Russia, age, to our landlords, to the owners of res- that the moment to go, to say Uzbekistan and Japan. Most of them Croa- taurants and cafes that we frequent, to the “see you later”, is something tian citizens, with cultural backgrounds de- waiters, to the merchants, to the box office that only happens to others, rived from almost all the existing national clerks of concert halls, of theatres and cin- Othat one is going to remain here forever. But, minorities in the country, all united in the emas, to the anonymous citizen we pass by naturally, it cannot be like that, and on 10 common effort to propel the country on its in the street. May 2009, four years after arriving in Croa- path towards democratic progress that fa- tia, after a great many activities inside and cilitates its Euro-Atlantic integration. A thank you to Cardinal Bozanić, to the outside the country, aiming to support the Archbishops and Bishops, to the clergy, to the country on its path to democratization, I am Gratitude above all to the Government and novices and sacristans with whom I felt like returning to the Spanish diplomatic service the people of Croatia. Thanking the Govern- home listening to their sermons in Croatian. to continue there my career, this time as ment is an obvious, as well as a contradictory To the nuns who grace the urban panoramas Spanish Ambassador in the neighbouring thing, since in reality the OSCE Mission was of the cities with their elegance. And here I Bulgaria. installed in Croatia to assist the country and should express gratitude for something no therefore, in theory, it is the Government less indispensable: a thank you to my wife, Representing an International Organiza- that should thank the OSCE for the services Cristina Leja Stross, for accompanying me tion such as the OSCE, with 56 Participat- rendered. But it is evident that without the on this new course, a particularly meritori- ing States from Europe and North America, understanding of the Government, without ous task because of not finding herself this and 11 Partners for Co-operation from the its positive approach, without its decision to time warmly protected by the Spanish State Mediterranean and Asian regions, is a much implement the mandate that we defined to- but by the OSCE, a “non-family, non-career different and perhaps more complicated task gether in 1996, the work of the Mission, my organisation”. My wife accompanied me and than serving a single country, since, in the work, would have been a lot more difficult if she enjoyed Croatia in these years, except in OSCE it is necessary to satisfy the diverse not impossible. So much gratitude to Presi- the months in which our son Javier needed opinions of such a great number of coun- dent Mesic and his team with his always kind her more than I did in the finalizing suc- tries among which there are the most pow- advice, as well as to Prime Minister Sanader cessful efforts of entering the Spanish dip- erful ones in the world such as all the EU and his Government with whom we carry lomatic career. members, the U.S., Russia and all the crucial ahead the project of democratic progress of neighbours of the Balkans, all of them repre- Croatia, basing ourselves particularly on the Not long ago, I presented my last Status Re- sented in the Permanent Council in Vienna established political Platform, on the ple- port in Vienna. Seeking the usual equilib- and, many of them, in Croatia itself. nary meetings, on a great many conferences, rium, I believe that in the document I left a roundtables, high level workshops held in clear reflection of a country that has worked, In particular, it was necessary to keep a Zagreb and throughout the entire country. progressed and that is already prepared to delicate equilibrium between Croatia and confront on its own the responsibilities that Vienna. Croatia, a newly born independent Gratitude to the kind, hospitable, friendly signify its future. I would have wanted that country that recently came out of a war and Croatian people. My work would not have this document was not only my last Report a centralized economy. Vienna, the Head- been possible without the good reception by but the last one in the life of the Mission/ quarters of the Council, of the Ministerial the country in general. Especially by all those Office in Croatia. I believe, nevertheless, that Troika of the CiO Representative, of the en- who, in one way or another, were affected the Report reflects the situation of a Croatia tire administrative apparatus of the OSCE, by the war and by the measures aiming to which is mature, prepared to face its inter- all of which offer their support to the coun- surpass its consequences and reintegrate the national obligations without serious declines tries that need it, such as those that basically refugees, displaced persons and returnees. and to occupy a noticeable place in the Euro- emerged after the disintegration of the for- To war crime victims, those who consid- pean and global settings. mer USSR and the former Yugoslavia. ered the sentences excessive, to those who At the moment of my departure, my grati- endeavoured to understand the good faith My wife and I are moving some kilome- tude goes to all of them, to the members of that guided our work, the search for neutral- tres further in the region, to the appealing the Secretariat of the Permanent Council, ity in our support to all Croatian citizens in Bulgaria, an EU and NATO country, with the Institutions, to the Ambassadors in Cro- general and to the members of the national which we have already been acquainted. atia and, in a very particular form, to the five minorities in particular. A thank you to the There we await you with open arms and countries that carried out the Chairmanship politicians, to the judges, to the officials, to from there we will follow with great emo- between 2005 and 2009: , Belgium, the prefects, to the mayors, to the police offi- tion the progress of our dear Croatia. Hasta Spain, Finland and Greece. cers, to the journalists, to the teachers, to the siempre, Croacia! members of NGOs, a lot of whom, in one Gratitude to the hundreds, perhaps thou- way or another, were our partners and cli- sands of people that along the years formed ents. But thanks once more to the common part of the Mission (Office since 2008) in citizen, to our medical doctors, dentists, to Zagreb. Many of them international, com- the veterinary of our dearest “Dandy” who Ambassador Jorge Fuentes ing almost entirely from the Participating ended his career in Croatia at 16 years of Head of Office Calendar: 17-03-09 HC Plenary Meeting with DPM Uzelac and Minister Čobanković OSCE: 15-03-09 Meeting with Ambassador Radivoj Parliamentary Assembly in Dubrovnik Cvetićanin, Emb of Rep of Serbia 18-03-09 Meeting with President County Court Zagreb, Mirjana Rigljan 18-03-09 Meeting with Mr. Mario Zubović, Chairman of Foreign Policy Committee Croa- tian Parliament 20-03-09 Diplomatic Outing to Lonjsko Polje National Park sponsored by the President of the Republic of Croatia 24-03-09 CPC Director Ambassador Herbert Salber visited Zagreb 25/26-03-09 Ambassador Fuentes presented the Office´s Status Report to the Permanent Council in Vienna. HoO was offered farewell dinners by the Ambassador of the Greek CiO, Mara Marinaki, the Ambassador of Croatia, Neven Madey and the Ambassador of Spain, Marta Betanzos. 30-03-09 Amb. Fuentes’ Farewell Party in ne of the tasks that I needed to beginning of July of 2011. Muzeji Ivana Meštrovića-Atelijer Meštrović carry out in the final stage of Farewell dinners and cocktails offered to my stay in Croatia – a pleasant This forum, conceived at the 1990 Summit Ambassador and Mrs. Fuentes and attended by task indeed – was to meet once in Paris, perfected in Madrid and Berlin in other members of the diplomatic community Oagain with the Speaker of the Parliament, 1991, and having had its inaugural meeting and Croatian authorities: Luka Bebić, as well as with the Chairman of in Budapest in 1992, was seen reinforced in 19 03 09 Ambassador of Korea, Dae-Ho Byun 23-03-09 Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Policy Committee of the Croa- the successive CSCE/OSCE summits in Miomir Žužul tian Parliament, Mr. Mario Zubović, and Helsinki (1992), Budapest (1994) and Is- 01-04-09 Ambassador and Mrs. Salazar, Em- the Chairman of the Physical Planning and tanbul (1999). bassy of Spain Construction Committee, Mr. Jerko Rošin. 02-04-09 Ambassador of Bulgaria, Ivan Sirakov It was not only a courtesy call and a farewell, Aside from the annual session, there is also a 02-04-09 Ambassador and Mrs Adamovich, Order of Malta as I also had an important message to convey winter session held in Vienna each February 06-04-09 Ambassador of Belgium, Marc De to them. and another one in the autumn that takes Schoutheete De Tervarent place every other year in a Mediterranean 07-04-09 Ambassador of Brazil, Haroldo As a result of a conversation I had in January, country. Valladao at the meeting of OSCE Heads of Mission 08-04-09 Ambassador Dr. Mate and Mrs. Rumjana Meštrović with the new Greek Chairmanship in Vien- The Speaker of the Croatian Sabor received 09-04-09 Ambassador and Mrs. Robert na, with the indefatigable Secretary General the proposal very positively and we agreed Bradtke, Embassy of the USA of the Organization’s Parliamentary Assem- that the President of the Parliamentary 14-04-09 Ambassador of Poland, Wieslaw bly, my good and old friend Spencer Oliver, Assembly, Mr. Joao Soares, would send a Tarka I was to present to the Croatian Parliament written proposal with details of the meet- 22-04-09 Ambassador Mrs. Paulo Tiago Jeronimo da Silva, Embassy of Portugal a project according to which Croatia would ing, whereby the Parliamentary Assembly 23-04-09 Ambassador of the Russian Federa- host the main annual meeting of the Assem- would meet all the expenses of transporta- tion, Mihail Konarovski bly in 2011. tion, stay and interpretation and the host 29-04-09 Ambassador of Serbia, Radivoj country would correspondingly provide for Cvetićanin Since this involves a big Assembly that gath- the security and social aspects as it deems 30-04-0 Ambassador of Greece, Ourania Arvanaki ers 360 representatives of 56 countries and so appropriate. Farewell meetings: many other officials of the Organization and 07-04-09 Ambassador of Australia, Ms. Tracy of the National Parliaments, the acceptance The meeting in Dubrovnik would be the Reid should be negotiated and obtained with suf- 17th Session of an important forum that has 17-04-09 Archbishop Prenđa, County Prefect ficient advance notice. The year 2009 was al- convened in many participating states (from Zrilić, Mayor Kolega and County Court Presi- dent Klišmanić, Zadar ready committed long ago to Lithuania and the United States to Russia, from Canada to 27-04-09 President of Supreme Court. Mr. 2010 to Norway. Belgium), now bringing to the SEE a reflec- Branko Hrvatin, tion on the state of affairs in the Organiza- 27-04-09 Minister of Culture, Mr. Božo If Croatia accepts, it would be the first coun- tion, its Summits, its Institutions and its Biškupić try of the Southeast Europe where the an- Missions, the prevention and resolution of 28-04-09 Ombudsman, Mr. Jurica Malčić 02-04-09 Farewell ceremony by the Apostolic nual session would be held and it would, conflicts, the electoral processes and a long Nuncio, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps therefore, from the Parliamentary point of etc. And it will do so in a country in which 06-04-09 Cocktail and presentation of a paint- view, also support the cosmopolitanism and an OSCE Office will predictably no longer ing donated by HoO to Croatian Museum of the Euro-Atlantic prospect that Croatia had exist, which will be found completely inte- Naive Art hosted by its Director, Mr. Vladimir already obtained from the perspective of the grated and which will be a net contributor Crnković 07-04-09 NATO flag raising ceremony, invited United Nations, owing to its presence in the to the peace and security of the region and by Minister of Defense, Branko Vukelić UN Security Council in 2008-09, its inte- the continent. 14-04-09 Farewell for Mrs. Fuentes held at the gration in the NATO in April 2009 and the OSCE Office in Zagreb progressive negotiations for EU integration. 16-04-09 Diplomatic Outing sponsored by President Stjepan Mesić to Lonja Nature Park 29-04-09 HoO received by the Prime Minister, The Annual Session would be held in Du- Ambassador Jorge Fuentes Ivo Sanader brovnik for five days at the end of June and Head of Office 08-05-09 Ambassador’s Farewell Visit to the President Stjepan Mesić 08-05-09 Farewell lunch with the PM, Ivo Sanader Reports: HoO presented the latest status report to the PC in Vienna and participated in farewell events

everal days prior to the annual pre- Ambassador Fuentes leaves Croatia. MFA in Zagreb, Christian Loda from the sentation of the Status Report by Ambassador Fuentes was thereafter received CPC and Enrique Horcajada from the Of- our Office to the OSCE Perma- by the Representative of the Greek CiO, fice in Zagreb. nent Council on 26th of March, Ambassador Marinaki, at her office in Gra- Sour Head of Office, Ambassador Fuentes, benstrasse, to report to her and to discuss The Loda couple, Mirna and Christian, met received the agrément from Bulgaria to be- on-going field issues. that evening with the Fuentes’, Cristina and come the new Ambassador of Spain in So- Jorge. They also invited me to join them. fia. Accordingly, he wrote the corresponding Our latest Office Status Report was pre- This cheerful dinner was a must after so letter of resignation from his post as Head sented first, informally, to delegations of many years of working cooperation both in of the OSCE Office in Zagreb to the Chair- the Participating States gathered at the Zagreb and Vienna. manship in Office. Segmentgalerie and, then, formally, the fol- lowing day, to the Permanent Council dur- The Spanish Ambassador to the OSCE also In a kind letter, the CiO accepted HoO’s ing a session held in the Neuer Saal of the offered a farewell dinner at her residence resignation and rescheduled Ambassador Hofburg Imperial Palace. This double pre- in Prinz Eugen to the Fuentes’. This distin- Fuentes’s agenda to use the opportunity sentation is already a traditional practice of guished dinner was also attended by the of his presence in Vienna for the standard the OSCE when addressing status reports. OSCE Ambassadors of Austria, Bulgaria, debriefing procedures for senior officials de- It has the obvious advantage of permitting Croatia, Sweden and European Commis- parting from field operations. Ambassador PS delegates to discuss the Report openly sion, as well as by the Deputy and two other Fuentes also reorganized his visit to Vienna with the head of a field operation: detailed diplomats of the Spanish OSCE Represen- to use the opportunity for formal farewell questions are posed and any remaining tation. activities and to say goodbye to his many doubts are resolved. The delegates can then friends in the OSCE headquarters. Ambas- better prepare the draft formal interventions During the last day, before going back to sador Fuentes’ agenda in Vienna became of their Ambassadors at the PC session the Wallnerstrasse for the final debriefing ses- quite turbulent with the presentation of following day. sion with the CPC, Ambassador Fuentes the Status Report, the final debriefing pro- paid a courtesy farewell visit to Ambassador cedures and the farewell meetings, lunches Following the PC session, the Ambassador Antii Turunen and to Mäki Leppilampi at and dinners. of the Greek CiO, Mara Marinaki, offered to their office in the Finnish Delegation. -Am Ambassador Fuentes a formal lunch at her bassador Fuentes wanted to reiterate his The first goodbye visit was to the OSCE residence attended by the OSCE Ambassa- appreciation of the support received from Secretary General, Marc Perrin de Bricham- dors from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, the former CiO during the intense year of baut. He was travelling out of Vienna on that Ireland, Portugal, Serbia and Spain, as well 2008. same day, but before leaving for the airport, as by the EC Representative and the CPC he received Ambassador Fuentes for a formal Deputy Director. A debriefing session where the HoO present- farewell. Ambassador Fuentes also wanted ed his End-of-Assignment and Handover to officially say goodbye to the Director of The previous day, the Croatian Ambassa- reports to representatives of the Secretariat the CPC, Ambassador Salber, however he dor, Neven Madey, offered to Ambassador sections, chaired by Jaroslaw Pietrusiewicz, had flown precisely to Croatia that same day, Fuentes a farewell lunch in one of the finest CPC Director for Operations Service, took where he had meetings arranged with several Dalmatian restaurant in Vienna. Ambas- place at the OSCE HQ as a final activity of Ambassadors in Zagreb, as well as with the sador Madey invited for the occasion the these busy days. A discussion and an inter- Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and the Ambassador of Slovakia, Juraj Macháč, the esting exchange of questions and answers Minister of Development. Since Ambassa- Deputy Permanent Representative of the followed the presentation. dor Salber will be chairing the SEE HoM’s Greek CiO, Dionyssios Kyvetos, and some meeting in Dubrovnik, there will be a new close colleagues from the Croatian portfo- Enrique Horcajada opportunity to meet and say goodbye before lio like Katarina Hodak from the Croatian Head of Executive Unit Euro-atlantic integration: NATO

roatia’s entry into NATO on 1 ter a long period of waiting, displeasure over Most of the European countries first joined April is probably the most im- the latest differences with Slovenia, distrust NATO and then the EU. Although, one portant event that occurred to due to the level of demands for finances and must recall that Sweden, Ireland, Finland, the country on the international troops exacted by the Club. Austria, Malta and Cyprus opted not to join Cscene after its independence in 1990. The the Alliance and that Norway and Iceland Government celebrated the event adequately What is certain is that for Croatia there is have remained – up to now – out of the – a flag-raising ceremony at the Ministry of a before and an after when 1 April 2009 is EU. The two new allies – Croatia and Al- Defence, speeches and a concert at the Na- concerned. Suddenly, the country returns to bania – are in the same situation as Norway tional Theatre among other events – where- security with regard to its immediate neigh- and Iceland, although, at least in the case of as the public opinion remained considerably bours, as well as the distant ones. Croatia Croatia, the negotiations are already very ad- apathetic, as was the case during the entire counts on 27 powerful members that will vanced. With that in mind, it cannot be ex- extended period involving the negotiations. defend its sovereignty as if it were their own. cluded that the recent NATO accession will A tremendous contrast with the enthusiasm The level of confidence that it grants is such prompt the country on its way to the EU. shown in , the second new ally of that it invigorates the movement of capi- this Military Organization. tal towards the allied countries (in Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary the foreign It is not easy to explain the reasons for this investments doubled in the two years follow- display of little enthusiasm among the Croa- ing the Atlantic Alliance integration). Ambassador Jorge Fuentes tian population: perhaps the exhaustion af- Head of Office Monitoring of war crime trials procedures: NGOs organise Round table on war Crimes Accountability

hree judicial NGOs, “Centre for of social maturity that clearly shows that not proud of some monstrous verdicts from the Peace, Non-violence and Hu- only the Government, but also the Croatian nineties, of some trials held in an atmosphere man Rights” (Osijek), “Docu- society and public opinion, have become far that did not befit a courtroom, of trials in ab- menta” (Zagreb), and “Civic more ready to discuss and to face judicial sentia in which sentences were handed down CommitteeT for Human Rights” (Zagreb), consequences of the war and deal with war lightly, and of the fact that blatantly different organized a high profiled roundtable about crimes accountability in a civilized manner. sentences were pronounced to war crimes War Crimes in Croatia on 24 March 2009. perpetrators depending on the ethnicity”, he In a well-mannered atmosphere but not said. He fully supported Croatia’s coopera- This is not the first time these NGOs call exempted from some tense exchange of ar- tion with the ICTY and called for removal for a public discussion on the ever sensitive guments, the NGO’s freely presented their of all Officials blocking the co-operation. issue of war crimes. The first of the already findings and their firm criticisms to the dis- four gatherings happend back in 2006. How- tinguished audience, without any hesitation EC’s Head in Croatia, Vincent Degert, stat- ever, this time, the round table was attended and without omitting any of their concerns. ed that addressing all war crimes was a key by the highest authority in the country, the to reconciliation and justice for the victims. President of the Republic, Stjepan Mesic. Vesna Teršelić, from the NGO “Documen- He recalled that the war crimes issue was Apart from the Minister of Justice, the Pres- ta”, presented findings related to the rein- important in Croatia’s accession negotiations ident of the Supreme Court and the Chief forcement of judicial capacities for process- to the EU within Chapter 23. He acknowl- State Attorney, the NGOs also invited the ing war crimes, in absentia convictions from edged reform efforts of the Government in Heads of the EC and ICTY delegations and the early 90ies and the application of amnes- this respect. In addition, he highlighted the the OSCE to participate in the gathering. ties, the inadequate enforcement of the pres- OSCE staff ’s good work on the war crimes ent witness support services, issues related agenda supporting the reform process. The high-profile attendance indicates that to investigations and the development of the Government and the Judiciary are pre- inter-State cooperation in criminal matters. The Minister of Justice, Ivan Šimonović, not- pared to address the strengthening of the The NGO’s also praised the positive devel- ed that the fact that such an open discussion system of war crimes accountability. The opments they noted and especially pointed could take place is an indicator that Croatia round table also showed the ever-growing out the reduction of the backlog through the is ready to face its past and encouraged the importance given to the NGO’s findings by large number of cases processed since 2004, NGOs to continue addressing this issue. the authorities, clearly showing that both the the increase in the openness of the State Government and the civil society are much Attorney’s work, the encouraging start of The President of the Supreme Court and more ready to cooperate on all levels, than it application of the plans to revise defective in the Deputy Chief State Attorney updated was the case in previous times. absentia verdicts and the clear improvement the conference participants on the recent noted in the inter-State cooperation. developments regarding war crimes issues in Due to different factors, the round table was their respective institutions. not as fruitful as expected but it, at least, pro- President Stjepan Mesić stressed that a na- duced important statements and speeches. tion or an ethnicity as a whole should not be In any case, these open discussions, with a held responsible and blamed for war crimes, Enrique Horcajada maybe slightly better organization next time, “they must be individualized and measured Head of Executive Unit have to be encouraged since they are a sign with the same archine. Croatia should not be MoJ’s presentation of the projects on the reform of the Croatian Judiciary (2009-2011) n 28 April 2009, the Minis- the backlog, improvement of Criminal Jus- the President of the Supreme Court for the try of Justice invited the IC, tice System, strengthening the prison sector, positive trend in the reduction of the back- at Ambassadorial level, to a improvement of access to Justice and Edu- log and welcomed the presence of projects presentation of projects in the cation of judicial professionals, among oth- to extend the war crimes witness and victim Ojustice sector for which it was seeking do- ers. € 74.1 to 114.1 millions is already ap- support services to the Courts that still lack nors. Minister Šimonović and his team pre- proved in projects by the EC, MATRA, WB them. sented a broad selection of projects aiming and CEB. € 41.7 is new proposals. During at shortening the length of Court proceed- the question-and-answer period, Enrique Nebojša Paunović ings, rationalization of institutions, reducing Horcajada congratulated the Minister and Legal Officer Monitoring of war crime trials procedures: The Head of Office meets the Zagreb County Court President

he Head of the Office in Za- Rigljan pointed out that the Court is the causes delays, contributing to the backlog greb, Ambassador Jorge Fuentes largest in Croatia, handling approximately of cases which the judicial system is trying and three members of the trial one-third of all cases in the country. She un- to promptly address. The newly established monitoring unit, Laura Fernan- derlined the complexity of the case of Glavas USKOK departments will deal specifically dezT (Spain), Biljana Alavanja, and Romana et al, noting that no judge wanted to be as- with corruption and organized crime cases, Macesic (both Croatia) visited on 18 March signed as the presiding judge of such a trial. adding to the judges’ already heavy load. 2009 the Zagreb County Court’s President, Mirjana Rigljan and the Head of the Court’s Other issues discussed during the meeting Civil Department, Darko Milkovic. were the witness support services, lists of ex-officio defense attorneys, the role of the Ambassador Fuentes thanked the President judicial police, the continuous training of Laura Fernandez and Romana Maćešić, for the positive reception of OSCE monitors judges, and the fight against corruption, in- Legal Officer and for allowing them to attend and moni- cluding the new office for the suppression of tor hearings in war crimes trials over the corruption and organized crime (USKOK) past two years. Zagreb County Court is one which has recently been established within of the four special war crimes courts in the the Zagreb Court, as well as at the other country (the others are Osijek, Rijeka and three special war crimes courts. Split), but only a few war crimes proceedings have been conducted there. The most promi- Regarding witness support services, the nent war crimes trial conducted before the President praised their work and noted that Court was the case against Rahim Ademi since October 2008, the Victims and Wit- and Mirko Norac, which was transferred ness Support Services have provided assis- from the International Criminal Tribunal tance in all first instance cases. On the ques- for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and is tion of the proper role of the judicial police, pending appeal before the Supreme Court. Rigljan noted that in theory they are under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction and are The Court is currently trying a high-profile obliged to maintain peace and order in and case against parliamentarian Branimir Gla- outside the courtroom. However, she ques- vas and five co-defendants. The trial, which tioned whether this is applied in practice. started in October 2007, has been delayed in recent weeks due to the poor health of one Although the President agreed that judicial of the accused. The prosecution has rested training is vital, she also noted that judges’ its case and the defence is now due to pres- participation as lecturers and trainees over- ent their arguments. laps with their judicial responsibilities and Interview: Kristijan Turkalj, Head of Department...

ristijan Turkalj, Head of the decision-making in the EU. for me to co-operate with the Head of the Croatian Justice Ministry’s De- Upon my return to Zagreb, I took over the OSCE Office in Zagreb as well as with partment for the EU and Hu- Department of [ED: name of department], other representatives of the Organization. man Rights, is an important which was responsible for following all EU I personally believe that co-operation with Kdiscussion partner for the OSCE Office policies and institutional activities, and I representatives of the international com- in Zagreb in its regular meetings with the was appointed Secretary of the Commit- munity is excellent. However, that does not Ministry of Justice, particularly concerning tee for Stabilization and Accession. I would mean that those relations are always simple. the monitoring of war crimes proceedings. probably assess that period of my career as By extension, this also goes for the OSCE: In this interview with Dorijan Klasnic, the the most demanding one, since I had to be its mandate encompasses topics that are es- Office’s Public Affairs Assistant, Turkalj knowledgeable about practically everything sentially very complex, so that even to talk speaks about his work. of significance concerning any of Croatia’s about them is anything but simple. open issues with the EU, be it shipbuild- OSCE: You are a career diplomat. Please tell ing, cigarettes steel wool production, etc. At OSCE: Croatia declared its independence us something about your work history and the same time, when I returned to Zagreb, I in 1991. How were justice and diplomacy how your current job is similar to or differ- took part in the negotiating process for EU created from the old apparatus of the federa- ent from what you have been doing profes- accession. As head of the working group on tive Croatia? sionally so far? What were the most interest- negotiation Chapter 24 “Justice, Freedom ing moments of your career so far? and Security”. I achieved results which I Kristijan Turkalj: Croatian diplomacy believe were crucial for the Government’s took over members of the former Yugoslav Kristijan Turkalj: My professional career decision to appoint me as a negotiator for diplomatic corps who put themselves at its began in 1995 in the Department of Inter- this Chapter and Chapter 23, “Judiciary and disposal. Croatian diplomatic staff were not national Legal Affairs in the Croatian Min- Fundamental Rights”. After that appoint- numerous in the former Yugoslav diplomatic istry for Foreign Affairs. I dare say the fact ment, it was somehow a logical step for me service. Many of them are still active today. that I was dealing with international law to transfer to the Ministry of Justice, since They represent a singular asset and sig- played a great part in channeling my further the legislation in Chapter 23 concerning the nificantly influenced the emerging of a new professional development. The most inter- judiciary is the area in which the EU’s expec- generation to which I, myself, also belong. esting moment of this part of my career was tations are the highest. During the past 17 years, Croatia has made the preparation of Croatia’s Memorial in the great efforts to recruit and train diplomatic procedure against the Federal Republic of OSCE: How do you assess co-operation staff and this has contributed to the fact Yugoslavia (FRY) before the International in Croatia with the OSCE and the interna- that today we most probably have one of the Court of Justice regarding the FRY’s alleged tional community in general? What, in your youngest diplomatic services capable of deal- violation of the Convention on Genocide. opinion, distinguishes the OSCE from other ing with the most complex issues. After that experience, my professional ori- international organizations? entation shifted entirely towards the EU. Things in the judiciary developed similarly Working for the Croatian Mission to the Kristijan Turkalj: Overall, I have to empha- yet differently. The process differed insofar European Community, I spent four years size that in the past years, ever since I have as the sizable corps of judges that existed at knocking at the doors of major EU institu- been co-operating with the OSCE person- the time was suddenly reduced. Vacant po- tions. That was a priceless experience for me ally, the achieved results have been remark- sitions were filled with young people. Until as it enabled me to fully grasp the modes of able. In this respect, it was a great pleasure just recently, the inexperience of these judges ... for European Union and Human Rights, Ministry of Justice was the subject of major objections. But the OSCE: How would you assess the Minstry special war crimes tribunals. However, mon- inexperienced judges became experienced of Justice’s co-operation with NGOs on is- itoring indicates that most war crimes con- and have become the greatest asset of the sues related to war crimes proceedings? tinue to be tried in the communities where Croatian judiciary, still young and motivated the crimes took place. Why, in your opinion, enough to carry the burden of the ongoing Kristijan Turkalj: The Ministry of Justice are these special tribunals not used more of- judicial reform. has a very open policy with regard to coop- ten? Moreover, how do the new Office for the eration with NGOs, including those who Prevention of Corruption and Organized OSCE: What has been the biggest achieve- monitor war crimes trials. It is our stand- Crime (USKOK) departments established ment in the Croatian justice system over the point that NGOs have the right to know as a result of the latest judicial reform efforts last ten years? And where do you see need what the Ministry of Justice is doing in re- affect the special war crimes courts’ caseload for improvement? gard to war crimes. Of course, we would and the work of criminal judges, who must like to see more recognition for our activities now deal with new corruption cases in addi- Kristijan Turkalj: What I consider to be the from the NGOs. The only way to achieve tion to pending or old cases. Will this affect greatest achievement in the judiciary is the this is through continued dialogue. which cases have priority over others? reduction of the backlog of cases. At the be- ginning of 2005, Croatian courts registered OSCE: The review of in absentia war crimes Kristijan Turkalj: The SAO and courts at 1.6 million cases; at the beginning of 2009, verdicts is the latest agenda item being ad- the local level are currently capable of per- we were down to 900,000 cases. The main dressed by the Ministry of Justice. What can forming the demanding task of trying war challenges are the old cases which have been you tell us about the review and the related crimes in compliance with the best stan- pending in the courts for more than 3 years. action plans of the State Attorney and the dards. Interior Ministry? The status of their imple- OSCE: Since 2006, the OSCE, in co-op- mentation? Future steps? The four special war crimes courts have eration with the Delegation of the European now been given the additional responsibil- Commission (EC) and the International Kristijan Turkalj: When talking about the ity of dealing with cases that fall under the Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugosla- in absentia judgments, one should not dis- competence of the USKOK, cases which are via (ICTY) Liaison Office, has been holding regard the circumstances under which they very complex and demanding. If these courts regular plenary meetings with the Ministry were passed. It is difficult to remain impar- had to deal with more war crimes trials, they of Justice, amongst others with the Chief tial, to determine responsibility and utter a would be overloaded. State Attorney, Representatives of the Su- sentence, when your side is being shelled. preme Court, the Judicial Academy and the Also, I think that with these judgments the The State Attorney’s Office and the Supreme Interior Ministry. Do you deem these meet- judges of the time were sending the message Court are extremely attentive to war crimes ings successful? What has been the most im- that war crimes are punishable. Now that 17 trials. Were any flaw to be detected in the portant achievement of these meetings? years have elapsed, it is easy to spot mistakes handling of a case, it would immediately be committed in individual cases. However, referred to one of the four aforementioned Kristijan Turkalj: The so-called Platform Croatia, like many other states, possesses courts. has enabled a dialogue among all stakehold- a legal instrument for the renewal of judg- ers within the judicial system. That is its ments rendered in absentia, which renders OSCE: What are the latest statistics on the most significant accomplishment. Every in- possible the correction of such mistakes. number of pending war crimes cases, includ- stitution has been given the opportunity to ing investigations and international arrest present its own expert opinion and propos- To this end, the Croatian State Attorney’s warrants? als for the resolution of the problems raised. Office (SAO) produced an action plan in This has allowed good quality dialogue to 2008 for reviewing war crimes cases. As Kristijan Turkalj: One should keep in mind develop and has made possible the progress foreseen by that plan, a review of all cases in that the data on identified and unidentified we have achieved in the past years. which final judgments were passed in absen- perpetrators are kept separately. According tia due to the inaccessibility of defendants to the data of the SAO, there are currently OSCE: The OSCE’s goal is to prepare was completed in January 2009. 1051 unprocessed cases against persons sus- NGOs to replace and continue its monitor- pected of war crimes acts. In addition, 597 ing work in Croatia once the Office is gone. Croatia has been very attentive to war crimes cases have been instituted against unidenti- At what point will the time have come, in trials and judgments since the early 1990s. fied perpetrators. your opinion, when the Croatian judiciary The review of war crimes judgments has will require no monitoring at all? been on the agenda of the so-called Platform Regarding international arrest warrants: that has been in place for the last two years. according to the SAO and the Ministry of Kristijan Turkalj: As far as the OSCE’s The discussion on this issue was intensified the Interior, a total of 670 international ar- monitoring of the Croatian judiciary is con- at the end of last year, and we are extremely rest warrants (so-called “red warrants”) have cerned, I believe that time already came when pleased that the OSCE recognized the prog- been issued against perpetrators of war Croatia began its accession negotiations with ress achieved. All of this indicates that there crimes, 304 of which pertain to people who the EU. With regard to the NGOs, their is rule of law in the Republic of Croatia and were convicted of war crimes in absentia. monitoring role should never cease. Civil so- that all people are equal before the law. ciety is the corrective tool of the authorities – this is its role and in my opinion NGOs OSCE: The Zagreb,Osijek, Rijeka and Split Dorijan Klasnić are more then crucial in performing it. County Courts have been given the status of Public Affairs Assistant OSCE: South Eastern Europe Regional ...

n 4 – 5 May 2009, the Croa- Croatian Justice Minister, Ivan Šimonović tions in South Eastern Europe vis-à-vis the tian coastal town of Dubrovnik commended the cooperation between Croa- growing EU operational engagement in the hosted the annual South East- tian authorities and the OSCE Office in region. ern Europe Regional OSCE Zagreb. Šimonović expressed satisfaction OHeads of Missions Meeting. The meeting with very positive assessments from the lat- The Head of the OSCE Mission in , was organised by the Conflict Prevention est OSCE report, notably those regarding Amb. Werner Almhofer, and the Head of Centre (CPC) and supported on location by war crimes trials and the implementation the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herze- the OSCE Office in Zagreb. of Housing Care Programmes. He also ex- govina, Amb. Gary Robbins, spoke about pressed hope that the Government’s achieve- trends for the upcoming 2010 Programme The two day meeting gathered HoMs from ments and efforts would lead to the OSCE Outline with a special focus on the need OSCE Missions in , Office completing its mandate and mission for a long-term strategy of downsizing and Serbia, Kosovo, Former Yugoslav Republic in Croatia. restructuring of field operations in South of Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Croatia Eastern Europe. with their respective support staff. The ses- The meeting continued with a tour-de-table, sions were chaired by Ambassador Herbert with each HoM presenting an overview on The Head of the Spillover Monitoring Mis- Salber, Director of the CPC, in the pres- the implementation status of their respective sion to Skopje, Amb. Jose-Luis Herrero, and ence of high representatives of the Greek mandates in the context of specific political the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Chairmanship, Ambassador Louis-Alkiv- developments in the host countries. The Amb. Hans Ola Urstad, informed the par- iadis Abatis, Deputy Head of the Greek topic of the current financial crisis, the pos- ticipants on relations with the host country CiO Task Force and Vasileios Zarmpalis sible impact on host countries daily politics in light of the challenges of mandate imple- accompanied by representatives of the two and how it affects the OSCE presences and mentation: between advocacy for reforms other Troika Participating States, Kazakh- staff was a widely discussed topic during this and progressive transfer of tasks to local au- stan and Finland. Ambassador Salber was presentation. thorities. also supported by the CPC Deputy Direc- tor, the Director for Human Resources, the The Head of the Office in Zagreb, Amb. The begining of day two saw the participa- Director for Management and Finance and Jorge Fuentes, and the Head of the OSCE tion of the Secretary General of the Regional the Coordinator of Economic and Environ- Presence in Albania, Amb. Robert Bosch, Co-operation Council (RCC), Amb. Hido mental Activities. opened the discussion and shared their Biščević, who discussed the activities of the views with the group on the topic of added RCC in its core areas and possible synergies Addressing the meeting on Monday, 4 May, value to the activities of OSCE field opera- with the OSCE field operations in South ...Heads of Missions Meeting

Eastern Europe. Amb. Biščević answered Ambassador Fuentes used the opportunity of OSCE Office in Zagreb staff, both on questions posed to him by the participants to repeat his complimets to all OSCE col- location – Biserka, Hrvoje and Dorijan, and some areas of mutual understanding leagues, to reaffirm his beleif in the necessity - and on duty station in Zagreb – Ankica were pinpointed. of co-operation among countries in the re- and Velimir - coordinating all events, paper- gion, to extend his compliments to all part- work, travel arrangements, local authorities Later on, the Head of Mission to Montene- ners OSCE works with, especially in Croa- and their respective offices, as well as deal- gro, Amb. Paraschiva Badescu, spoke about tia, and finally to praise the quality of work ings with the staff from the beautiful Hotel possible areas of continued or renewed co- and human qualities of his staff. Villa Argentina who showed a great deal operation of the OSCE field operations in Ambassador Fuentes has been appointed as of last-minute problem-solving skills. Also, South Eastern Europe in light of the region- the new Ambassador of Spain in Bulgaria the meeting brakes were held at a superbly al efforts of respective host countries and the and, accordingly, he is leaving the post of the placed terrace holding a magnificent view status of bilateral relations among them. Head of Office in Zagreb. on the Dubrovink harbor and dinners or- ganized at very acceptable rates at some of Towards the end of the meeting, the par- Another departure from the post of the Dubrovnik finest eateries. A big thumbs-up ticipants discussed policies and common Head of Mission was announced for this for all those who supported the gathering. instructions on the OSCE management and summer, the one of the HoM of Serbia. Am- human resources. They were also given an bassador Hans Ola Urstad will also re-join update on activities and plans by the OSCE the bilateral diplomatic service of his home Institutions and by senior Secretariat and country after being three years at the helm CPC staff. The Special Representative of the of the OSCE Mission to Serbia. parliamentary Assembly on SEE, Roberto Batelli, took the floor on several occasions to All participants in this meeting, held in the point out information of high regional inter- nice and modern town of Dubrovnik, were est. Field Security Officer Mihailevschi re- very satisfied with the depth and wisdom minded the group about the measures being of the practical discussions maintained in taken against any possible H1N1 flu virus a very open and sincere atmosphere. Some pandemic. Robert Adams, the Head of the assessed it as one of the most productive Democratization Department of ODIHR HoMs meetings ever. updated the group on their on-going activi- Dorijan Klasnić ties. The meeting was supported by a task-force Public Affairs Assistant Events: Farewell reception for Ambassador Fuentes

he Head of the It was also attended by rep- Office in Zagreb, resentatives of media associa- A m b a s s a d o r tions, journalists, prominent Jorge Fuentes cultural figures, county court andT Mrs Fuentes hosted a re- presidents, the ombudsman, ception in Zagreb 30 March judges and other partners 2009 to mark the Ambas- Ambassador Fuentes had sador’s upcoming departure met, worked with and vis- from Croatia. The event was ited during his term in office held at the Mestrovic Atelier, in Croatia. Prime Minister which displays works of art by Ivo Sanader and his coali- the famous Croatian sculptor tion partner, the President of Ivan Mestrovic (1883-1962) the Croatian Peasant Party and is located near both the (HSS) Josip Friscic, also of- Croatian parliament and fered their congratulations to the goverment palace on St the Ambassador. Mark’s Square. Portrayed on the photos are Apart from the Office’s staff, also the Minister of Justice, the event gathered together Ivan Šimonović and Minis- ambassadors or representa- ter of Development, Petar tives from most of the em- Čobanković and his team. bassies accredited in Croatia, heads of international organi- A group of Office staff sations in Zagreb, high level involved with the organisa- Croatian officials, ministers tion of the event with the both past and present of cul- Fuentes’. ture, judicial, foreign affairs, development, reconstruction and heads of goverment de- partments and NGOs with whom the OSCE has worked Dorijan Klasnić closely in the past four years. Public Affairs Assistant Events: Farewell to the President and the Premier of Croatia

s soon as our HoO knew that President of the Republic received Ambas- who accompanied the HoO to all six re- he could be assigned as the sador Fuentes again on 8 May for the last ceptions. new Ambassador of Spain farewell. President Mesic accorded him to Bulgaria, he requested to a long and thoughtful interview during beA received by the three highest Croatian which the sound judgments of the Head of Enrique Horcajada authorities to formally inform them of the State were once again manifested. Head of Executive Unit designation. He was received by the Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, together with the That same day, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Jan- treated Ambassador Fuentes to a very spe- drokovic on 30 January; by the President cial offering: a lunch at the sumptuous of the Republic, Stjepan Mesic, on 11 Feb- banquet hall of the Government Palace at ruary; and by the President of the Parlia- Saint Mark’s square. The lunch was also at- ment, Luka Bebic, on 12 March. Once the tended by Deputy Prime Minister Jadran- agrément by the Republic of Bulgaria was ka Kosor, the Minister of Culture, Bozidar accorded, the time of the formal farewells Biskupic, the Ambassadors of the United came and new audiences where requested. States of America, Robert Bradtke, the Kingdom of Spain, Manuel Salazar, the In a warm atmosphere of great cordiality, Kingdom of Sweden, Fredrik Vahlquist, the Croatian Premier, accompanied by the the Foreign Affairs State Secretary, Bianca State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Bianca Matkovic, the PM’s Head of Cabinet, Ka- Matkovic, received Ambassador Fuentes, tarina Fucek, the PM’s Advisor, Davor Sti- for the last time, on 29 April and thanked er, the Government’s Spokeperson, Zlatko him for the assistance provided to Croatia Mehun, and finally, by Enrique Horcajada, by the OSCE during these four years. The then a candidate to head the OSCE Office,

Events: “The Men and the City”

n April 2007 the Museum of The presentation saw an enormous response On that occasion, the author, in gratitude for Naive Art presented a month- on the part of tout Zagreb – politicians, dip- the generous organization of the exhibition long exhibition of Ambassador lomats, intellectuals, members of the local for charitable purposes, donated the paint- Jorge Fuentes’ works, entitled: society that packed the rooms of what is ing “At home” which has after that remained O“The man and the city”, an ironic and surre- considered the best Naive Museum in the in the Museum’s collection. alist travel through the city of Zagreb. world. Now, two years later, in a more tranquil and intimate atmosphere, Ambassador Fuentes- Vilallonga as an artist – makes a second do- nation, the painting entitled “Building”, at a moment of his farewell to Zagreb. The two paintings were displayed together for the first time on one of the fine walls of the Museum. Its Director, a brilliant art critic and essay- ist, Vladimir Crnković, and the Ministry of Culture’s Director for International Cultural Cooperation, Ms. Jasminka Lokas-Strpić, presented this beautiful and heartfelt act. Office staff extracurivullum:: Saluting the sun in Zagreb

hanks to Yoga, it is now possible is not a religion, the “Universal Self ” may or is both demanding and “entertaining”, and to “salute the sun” even during may not be identified with God, depending from which I am greatly benefitting in my the short and dark days of Za- on one’s creed. This is the reason why certain everyday life. greb’s long winters. “Sun Salu- Yoga techniques, such as meditation, may be tation”T (in Sanskrit: Surya Namaskar) is the applied both to religious practice – includ- foundation of all of the yoga postures (in ing the Christian – and to non-religious, Sanskrit: Asana). Asana is a kind of physi- yet spiritual, ones. Because human beings cal exercise in which breath and movement have different strengths and weaknesses, are combined together. It constitutes one of over time the Masters of Yoga have designed the main limbs of Yoga, and its practice is at- various approaches, so that it can be helpful tracting more and more people nowadays, as to everyone, depending on their emotional an alternative way to keep fit and counteract and mental capacities, preferences, and age. stress. This is indeed a good start, which Some of them aim at liberation through may then motivate one to deepen their meditation, others through physical trans- knowledge of Yoga as a much more complex formation achieved by exercising, others discipline, way of life, and philosophy. through self-transcending service etc. This is The origins of yoga date back to some 5,000 why Yoga has been practiced by a wide range years ago and are linked to the Indian sacred of persons, from the Mahatma Gandhi to scriptures of the Vedas. Over the millen- famous pop singers and sportspersons. Also, nia, Yoga has turned from being a strictly through what is called ‘Yoga therapy’, it is initiatory practice into one suitable for a now possible to cure certain kinds of dis- wider audience. Its main ideas travelled to ease. Ech Yoga practice usually starts and ends the West since the times of Plato and Aris- As said, Zagreb provides several opportuni- with both teacher and students pronounc- totle, and, later on, of Alexander the Great, ties to practice Yoga under the guidance of ing the word Namaste, while keeping the up to our times, when the process of adapt- qualified teachers. I came across Yoga dur- palms of one’s hands together and to the ing Yoga to the needs and characteristics of ing over four years of stay in Croatia and, heart. Namaste is a traditional Indian way the “western body and mind” has intensified. after learning it for three years as a student, I of greeting, and in yoga it symbolizes the The word “Yoga” comes from the Sanskrit felt motivated to start an International Yoga union of the individual selves with the root yuj (pronounced as ‘yug’), which means Teacher Training Program here in Zagreb, Universal Self: I honor the place in you in “to unite”, “to yoke”. In one of its highest along with many other trainees from all which the entire Universe dwells, I honor meanings, Yoga is about uniting the “indi- over Croatia. Thanks to this course, I had the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, vidual Self ” with the “Universal Self ”. It the opportunity to meet a variety of persons of Light and of Peace. When you are in that is what is traditionally called a “liberation who consider Yoga both as a means of per- place in you, and I am in that place in me, teaching”, as it seeks to liberate human be- sonal growth and of changing attitudes in a We are One. ings from their limited notion of what they post-conflict society like Croatia. As far as are. All of Yoga teachings aim at helping to I am concerned, I am glad to have accepted Agnese Andreucci realize this unity. Due to the fact that Yoga the challenge of learning a discipline which Legal Officer

Office staff extracurivullum:: “Fun Fair”

n 12 February 2009 the decorate Easter eggs or to use every day Office staff organized what materials for our decorative or design was immediately dubbed purposes. People also had to learn the the “Fun Fair”, a gather- art of making knots and to learn about Oing of all those who have special skills winter climb and alpinism equipment in areas mostly related to art or unusual and bailey systems. A book sale was also activities to present them to their col- organized. It was extremely interesting leagues. to learn more about certain topics and skills but most of all to learn more about The “Fun Fair” was a success from its ones colleagues and their other walks of very start. We were able to taste home life apart the everyday office activities. made honey and honey related products, to admire work of photographic arts, to Dorijan Klasnić find new ideas in the field of decorative Public Affairs Assistant packaging, to learn first hand how to Lectures: Students from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow visit the Office

n 27 April 2009, a group of 17 The stundents had ample opportunity for group of young persons who despite their postgraduate students from questions and used it in a perceptive and age and background were well knowledgea- the Jagiellonian Univerity from qualitative manner. They were mostly in- ble on Croatia and the OSCE , showed great Poland visited the Office’s HQ terested in the background of the issues that interest in both humanitarian and legal is- Oin Zagreb. These, mostly international stu- Croatia battles with such as refugee return, sues and were genuinely interested in proc- dents attending their master’s programme in war crimes trials and judiciary, but also esses that occur in this part of Europe. European studies were greeted by the Head questions of wider knowledge and interests, of Executive Office, Enrique Horcajada who such as interest in the democratization of The group left for Split and then for Sarajevo also gave them a lecture on the political as- the country, issues deriving from the recent and we wish them all the best in their stud- pects of the OSCE presence in Croatia. The conflict but also questions regarding practi- ies and always leave an open door for them, students also heard the lectures from Legal cal aspects of the current EU negotiations or any other interested student, hungry for officer, Alan Švarc and National Programme and future practices once Croatia joins the knowledge on the OSCE in Croatia. Officer, Nena Lukin who presented their re- Union. spective units and the activities of the OSCE Dorijan Klasnić in the country. It has been a great pleasure listening to this Public Affairs Assistant Farewell to dear friends: Farewell for Mrs Cristina Leja de Fuentes he OSCE is defined as a non- cordial and friendly relations with his coun- care and friendship she showed to every staff family organization. According- terparts and associates which greatly facili- member who went through difficult times ly, the spouses or life partners of tated HoO’s meetings and discussions with in their families by way of presenting her our staff officially do not exist. the Croatian authorities and other Ambas- with a very humble souvenir from Croatia, However,T the reality is obviously quite dif- sadors in their home and throughout the a bracelet made of Croatian stones in her ferent. Not only that they exist but they also country. Her personal charm and sincerity favourite colour. Cristina thanked the staff play an important role in supporting our were often the source of the pleasant and with very nice words about the importance job. A job that is often unnoticed and not relaxed ambience needed for smooth discus- of our work, renewing her invitation to any recognized. Cristina Leja de Fuentes, our sions conducted by her husband. She was of us who wish to visit the couple in their HoO’s wife, was departing from Croatia af- the incentive to HoO’s work and to a great new home in Sofia. ter 4 years of providing continuous support extent to the work of us all. to her husband’s work. The Office decided Enrique Horcajada to use this opportunity and, as a token of Not only that Cristina enthusiastically ac- Head of Executive Unit our appreciation for being a role model on cepted our invitation for a farewell coffee but how our partners should contribute to our she came to our premises with cookies and performance, invite her to a simple and very some bottles of champagne in order to share symbolic farewell coffee in our premises. all that with us. Enrique informed her that Her sophisticated good manners, savoir she had been chosen as an example of the faire and attention to detail highly contrib- silent work being done by all our partners. uted in creating a distinguished atmosphere On behalf of all of us he wished her the best required at the receptions, cocktails and of success in their new post in Bulgaria. The dinners that the Fuentes couple attended or Office staff also wanted to pay a tribute to offered to the diplomatic community in Za- Cristina’s love for Croatia and its landscapes greb. In reality, during all these years, she has that she manifested by her endless will to been unofficially sharing her husband’s great travel and familiarize herself with every responsibility in representing the OSCE. corner of the country. They also wanted to Cristina also helped our HoO to maintain show her their appreciation for the human Gallery

On the occasion of the SEE OSCE HoM’s meeting in Dubrovnk, Amb. Fuentes took President Stipe Mesić and the HoO during the diplomatic the opportunity to pay a farewell visit to the outing in Lonjsko Polje National Park, 16 April 2009 Mayor, Dubravka Šujica, 5 May 2009

Ambassador Fuentes and a number of other bilateral ambassadors in Zagreb hear the farewell speach deliverd by the Apostolic Nuncio H.E.Msgr. Mario Roberto Cassari , 2 April 2009

The HoO and the OSCE staff in Zagreb in a “fam- ily photo” on the occasion of HoO’s departure from Croatia, Zagreb 7 May 2009

Organization for Security and OSCE Office in Zagreb, Florjana Andraseca 14 Phone: +385 1 3096620 Co-operation in Europe Fax: +385 1 3096297 E-mail: [email protected] www.osce.org/zagreb Office in Zagreb