[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 28437-28438]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT'S SUPPORT OF CROATIA'S MEMBERSHIP IN NATO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter this letter into 
the Record. The letter focuses on the importance of the U.S. State 
Department's support of Croatia's membership into NATO.

                                            National Federation of


                                    Croatian Americans (NFCA),

                                     Washington, DC, Nov. 3, 2005.
     Re Resolution on The Republic of Croatia and NATO Membership.
     The Hon. Elton Gallegly,
     Chairman, Europe and Emerging Threats Subcommittee, 
         International Relations Committee, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: On behalf of the National Federation of 
     Croatian Americans (NFCA), I want to commend and thank you 
     for the courageous leadership you have shown by introducing 
     H. Res. 529. The NFCA was pleased to contribute to the 
     Resolution's development, and we stand ready with our 
     national community to assist you in generating support for 
     its expeditious passage in the U.S. Congress.
       The U.S. State Department may object to some of the 
     language in this Resolution, since over time the State 
     Department has ramped up its requirements related to 
     Croatia's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO). This Department's requirement for 
     support of Croatia's entry into NATO has actually morphed 
     from `complete cooperation with the International Criminal 
     Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, in the pursuit of 
     the remaining indictee' to `the capture and delivery of the 
     remaining indictee to The Hague'. The State Department holds 
     to this position in spite of the fact that the ICTY Chief 
     Prosecutor claims that the remaining indictee is hiding in an 
     Italian monastery protected by the Vatican. The ICTY Chief 
     Prosecutor has further asserted that Croatia is now 
     completely cooperating with the ICTY. Furthermore, the new 
     government of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has affirmed the 
     Government of Croatia's commitment to cooperate fully and 
     continue to take all necessary steps to locate and transfer 
     the remaining indictee to the ICTY. After complying with 626 
     demands of the ICTY, the people of the free and democratic 
     Republic of Croatia deserve better treatment from the United 
     States and they have certainly earned our strong support 
     expressed so well in this Resolution.
       We agree with the view that stability in South Central 
     Europe is of a very high priority, and that Croatia has 
     become a valuable, constructive partner in this delicate 
     region. Given the potential for future regional conflicts, 
     NATO should want to take advantage of the greater 
     contribution that Croatia would make toward peace and 
     stability as a full member of NATO. As you know, Montenegro 
     may wish to break from Serbia in the future, and Kosovo is 
     considering its own independence. Furthermore, Bosnia and 
     Herzegovina has yet to be reconstituted into a nation-state 
     that can equitably govern its three ethnic constituencies. 
     And, unfortunately, The Serbian Radical Party--using 
     Republika Srpska as a foothold--openly promulgates activities 
     oriented towards the creation of a Greater Serbia, which may 
     also include current parts of Croatia. These potentially 
     explosive situations require the stability that a NATO 
     presence in Croatia will provide.
       I am taking the liberty of providing a copy of this letter 
     to your Subcommittee's Ranking Member, Representative Robert 
     Wexler, and to the Co-Chairs of the Croatian Caucus, 
     Representatives George Radanovich and Peter Visclosky, who we 
     believe will be helpful on this matter. If I may provide 
     anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me 
     directly or our NFCA Government Relations Director, Mr. 
     Joseph Foley. Thank you again

[[Page 28438]]

     for your important continued support for Croatia's NATO 
     membership.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Edward A. Andrus,
     President.

                          ____________________