US embassy cable - 04ZAGREB1624

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001624 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, HR, Refugee 
SUBJECT:  ICTY Indictees' Children Supported on Humanitarian 
Grounds 
 
1. (SBU)  State Secretary Tomislav Ivic of the Ministry of 
Veterans and Family told Embassy officers on September 13 that the 
Government's May 12 decision to give school allowances to the 
children of Croats indicted by The Hague-based War Crime Tribunal 
(ICTY) was based on "humanitarian considerations."   Ivic denied 
the decision was politically motivated. He said Minister Kosor had 
passed it, in consultation with Prime Minister Sanader, strictly 
on humanitarian grounds, to help the families of the indictees to 
cope with increased expenses (travel to The Hague, frequent long 
distance phone calls, etc.). 
 
2. (U) The decision caused quite a stir in the Croatian press 
during the slow news month of August. Human rights activists 
charged that the decision was unconstitutional as it discriminated 
against Croatian Serb indictees, as well as those being tried for 
war crimes locally. Critics also argued that most indictees were 
wealthy individuals in no need of state support, describing the 
government's decision as a sort of payoff to those who helped it 
improve its relations with ICTY by voluntarily surrendering. 
 
3. (U) Ivic said that, contrary to public perception, most 
families of ICTY indictees were not well off financially, adding 
that the wealthier among them (e.g. General Cermak) declined such 
support. When taking the decision, GOC bore in mind the 
presumption of innocence, as the allowance applies only to those 
indicted, not to those convicted. The allowance itself amounts to 
500 kuna (about USD 80) a month for pre-school and school 
children, and 1000 kuna (USD160) for college students. This year's 
appropriation is 150,000 kuna ($25,000) through December 2004. 
Ivic could not predict whether the program would be renewed. 
Asked what would happen if an indictee were found guilty, Ivic 
cited the case of General Blaskic (who was convicted, served time 
and was released), whose children no longer received government 
support, as a precedent. 
 
4. (SBU) Given the minor amounts involved, we doubt there was a 
real political quid-pro-quo involved in the GOC's decision. 
Nevertheless it created a small local backlash and undermined to a 
small degree the GOC's public commitment to doing the right thing 
with indictees; a wiser minister might seek to provide allowances 
for impoverished indictees' families though a less controversial 
mechanism next year. 
 
FRANK 
 
 
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