The Honorable Elton Gallegly, Chairman

Europe and Emerging Threats Subcommittee

International Relations Committee

U. S. House of Representatives

2401A Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

RE: Resolution on The Republic of Croatia and NATO Membership

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, at telephone number 301-294-0937. Thank you again for your important continued support for Croatia’s NATO membership.

CC: Hon. Robert Wexler, Ranking Minority Member of the Subcommittee

Hon. George Radanovich, Co-Chair, Croatian Caucus

Hon. Peter Visclosky, Co-Chair, Croatian Caucus