US embassy cable - 91ZAGREB1661

CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB  01661 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0375 
 COMSIXTHFLT//N2// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON//N24// 
CTF SIXTWO 
CTF SIXONE 
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ5// 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01661 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, MARR, PHUM, PREL, PINS, MARR, PHUM, War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  ZAGREB UPDATE, NOVEMBER 26, 1991 
- 
1.  SUMMARY:  ACCORDING TO CROATIAN PRESS 
REPORTS AND THE EC MONITORING MISSION IN ZAGREB, 
THE UNBLOCKING OF JNA INSTALLATIONS AROUND 
ZAGREB IS PROCEEDING, BUT THERE ARE PROBLEMS 
THAT COULD SPIKE THE EVACUATION AT ANY TIME. 
 
THE EC MONITORS CONTINUE TO SEEK JNA PERMISSION 
TO VISIT VUKOVAR HOSPITAL DIRECTOR BOSANAC, 
WHOSE ARREST THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT HAS 
PROTESTED.  THE EC MONITORS HAVE PROVIDED US IN 
CONFIDENCE LENGTHY REPORTS OF VIOLATIONS OF THE 
SECOND PROTOCOL TO THE GENEVA CONVENTION BY THE 
JNA.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.  EC MONITORS' SPOKESMAN RENILDE STEEGHS TOLD 
US THAT FOUR CONVOYS WERE SCHEDULED TO DEPART 
TODAY FROM FOUR DIFFERENT INSTALLATIONS, 
INCLUDING ONE FROM THE MARSHALL TITO BARRACKS IN 
ZAGREB.  STEEGHS NOTED THAT THE JNA WAS NOT 
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ABIDING BY ITS AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE THE EC 
MONITORS WITH 48 HOURS NOTICE OF WHICH CONVOYS 
IT INTENDED TO ORGANIZE, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR 
THE MISSION TO PLACE ITS MONITORING TEAMS. 
ALTHOUGH THE MONITORS CONSIDERED THIS A 
VIOLATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON UNBLOCKING, THEY 
HAVE DECIDED FOR NOW, ABSENT CROATIAN PROTEST, 
NOT TO PROTEST THE ISSUE TO THE JNA. 
- 
3.  STEEGHS, WHOSE COMMENTS GENERALLY TRACK 
CLOSELY WITH THE VIEWS OF EC CHIEF OF MISSION 
VAN HOUTEN NOTED THAT SOME JNA ACTIONS SEEMED 
NEEDLESSLY PROVOCATIVE; FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAD 
SENT, WITHOUT NOTICE, A CONVOY OF CROATIAN 
VEHICLES WHICH HAD BEEN CAPTURED IN SLUNJ AND 
HASTILY REPAINTED TO AN INSTALLATION IN ZAGREB 
FOR THE EVACUATION.  THE CROATIANS HAD SEARCHED 
THE VEHICLES AND FOUND WEAPONS, SLOWING DOWN THE 
EVACUATION PROCESS.  THE JNA WAS ALSO INSISTING 
ON FLYING LARGE YUGOSLAV FLAGS ON CONVOY 
VEHICLES AS THEY DROVE THROUGH CROATIA. 
- 
4.  AT MIDDAY TODAY STEEGHS REPORTED THAT 
PROBLEMS HAD DEVELOPED IN KARLOVAC, THROUGH 
WHICH THE CONVEYS ARE PASSING.  MINES PREVIOUSLY 
PLACED BY THE CROATS HAD STOPPED THE CONVOYS. 
THE CROATS WERE SAYING THEY LACKED THE NECESSARY 
EXPERTISE TO REMOVE THE MINES AND THAT THEY WERE 
BEING FIRED UPON BY JNA SNIPERS WHEN THEY 
TRIED.  (STEEGHS SAID THE CROATIAN CLAIM OF LACK 
OF KNOWLEDGE RINGS TRUE; IN PULA, WHICH HAS 
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ALREADY BEEN EVACUATED, THE CROATS HAVE BEEN 
UNABLE TO REMOVE THEIR OWN MINES--FOUR SOLDIERS 
DIED TRYING--AND FINALLY HAVE ASKED THE JNA FOR 
 
 
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PAGE 01        ZAGREB  01661  02 OF 02  261449Z 
ACTION EUR-01 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AMAD-01  CIAE-00  DODE-00  HA-09    H-01     INRE-00 
      INR-01   IO-19    L-03     ADS-00   NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02 
      OMB-01   PA-01    PM-01    PRS-01   P-01     SNP-01   SP-01 
      SSO-00   SS-01    TRSE-00  T-01       /046W 
                  ------------------B07A16  261456Z /45 
O 261432Z NOV 91 
FM AMCONSUL ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0019 
INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE IMMEDIATE 
USIA WASHDC 0893 
AMEMBASSY ANKARA 
AMEMBASSY ATHENS 
AMEMBASSY BONN 
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY LISBON 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG 
AMEMBASSY MADRID 
AMCONSUL MILAN 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 
AMEMBASSY VIENNA 
USMISSION USNATO 1165 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  01661  02 OF 02  261449Z 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0376 
 COMSIXTHFLT//N2// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON//N24// 
CTF SIXTWO 
CTF SIXONE 
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ5// 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 01661 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, MARR, PHUM, YO 
SUBJECT:  ZAGREB UPDATE, NOVEMBER 26, 1991 
- 
 
ASSISTANCE.)  STEEGHS SAID AN URGENT MEETING HAD 
BEEN CONVENED AT EC MONITORS HEADQUARTERS TO 
DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. 
- 
VUKOVAR DOCTOR STILL IN JNA CUSTODY 
----------------------------------- 
5.  ON THE FATE OF HOSPITAL DIRECTOR VESNA 
BOSANAC FROM VUKOVAR, STEEGHS SAID THE JNA HAS 
TURNED DOWN SEVERAL EC MONITORS' REQUESTS TO 
MEET WITH HER.  IN AN INDIGNANT EXCHANGE AT EC 
MONITORS' OFFICES, JNA GENERAL RASETA REPORTEDLY 
INSISTED THAT BOSANAC WAS "IN GOOD HEALTH" BUT 
THAT SHE WAS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR "WAR 
CRIMES."  STEEGHS SAID AN EC DECISION ON WHAT 
FURTHER STEPS TO TAKE WOULD BE MADE AFTER 
LEARNING WHETHER OR NOT ANOTHER EC REQUEST TO 
SEE DR. BOSANAC WOULD BE GRANTED. 
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EC REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS 
------------------------------------- 
6.  THE EC MONITORS' GROUP PROVIDED US THIS 
AFTERNOON WITH COPIES OF THEIR LENGTHY 
CONFIDENTIAL REPORTS ON ALLEGATIONS OF 
 
SIPDIS 
VIOLATIONS OF HUMANITARIAN LAW IN THE ZADAR 
AREA, IN SLAVONSKA POZEGA (IN RESPONSE TO JNA 
CHARGES THAT SERBIAN VILLAGES WERE BEING 
FORCIBLY EVACUATED BY THE CROATS), AND 
ELSEWHERE, AND ON EC MONITORS' VISITS TO 
VUKOVAR.  THE REPORTS INCLUDE A CONCLUSION OF 
SERIOUS JNA VIOLATIONS IN SOME AREAS OF THE 
SECOND PROTOCOL OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION.  WE 
ARE POUCHING FULL COPIES TO EMBASSY BELGRADE. 
STEPHENS 
 
 
 
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