US embassy cable - 94ZAGREB157

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000157 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/EE AND HA 
VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA 
LJUBLJANA PLEASE PASS TO AMB. ALBRIGHT'S PARTY 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL:  OADR 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, HR, PHUM, HR, SR, War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  TFSROL:  AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH MEETS WITH 
          "KRAJINA PRESIDENT" GORAN HADZIC 
 
REF:  ZAGREB 0073 
 
1.  ON JANUARY 6, DURING THE VISIT OF UN AMBASSADOR 
ALBRIGHT TO SECTOR EAST REPORTED REFTEL, AMBASSADOR 
GALBRAITH MET FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES WITH 
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GORAN HADZIC, THE LAME DUCK "PRESIDENT" OF THE 
"REPUBLIC OF THE SERBIAN KRAJINA" (RSK) AND MILAN 
ILIC, THE HEAD OF THE LOCAL "REGIONAL COUNCIL." 
REGIONAL COUNCILS ARE SAID TO BE THE LOCAL 
LEGISLATIVE BODIES IN THE SERB-OCCUPIED TERRITORIES 
OF CROATIA.  THE MEETING TOOK PLACE IN A MUNICIPAL 
BUILDING AT THE BOROVO FACTORY OUTSIDE VUKOVAR. 
AMBASSADOR ALBRIGHT AND ASSISTANT SECRETARY SHATTUCK 
AND THEIR PARTY ALSO ATTENDED THE MEETING, BUT DID 
NOT PARTICIPATE.  EMBASSY CON/POL OFFICER WAS 
NOTETAKER.  THE MEETING WAS AGREED TO AFTER THE LOCAL 
SERBS THREATENED TO OBSTRUCT THE VISIT OF THE 
ALBRIGHT PARTY TO THE OVCARA GRAVE SITE UNLESS THEY 
HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE GROUP.  THE BRIEF 
MEETING FOLLOWED THE VISIT TO THE GRAVE SITE. 
(NOTE:  OVCARA IS SAID TO BE THE SITE OF A MASS GRAVE 
WHERE THE BODIES OF UP TO THREE HUNDRED PEOPLE TAKEN 
BY THE SERBS FROM THE VUKOVAR HOSPITAL ARE BURIED. 
END NOTE.) 
 
2.  AFTER WELCOMING THE GROUP, HADZIC COMPLAINED THAT 
THE "RSK" WAS A "SMALL AND POOR" COUNTRY WHICH CANNOT 
GET THE TRUTH TO THE WORLD.  THE SERBS ARE BLAMED FOR 
EVERYTHING, HE SAID, EVEN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD 
BRIDGE IN MOSTAR.  IT IS NOT TRUE, HE ADDED, THAT 
EVERYTHING THE SERBS DO IS BAD AND EVERYTHING THE 
CROATS DO IS GOOD, "JUST AS IT WOULD BE A LIE IF I 
TOLD YOU EVERYTHING THE SERBS DID WAS GOOD." HADZIC 
SAID THE SERBS HAD FOUGHT TO DEFEND THEIR HOMES AFTER 
THE WAR WAS STARTED BY CROATS WHO KILLED OR SET FIRE 
TO EVERYTHING WHICH BELONGED TO THE SERBS.  HE 
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PAGE 04        ZAGREB  00157  01 OF 02  121835Z 
CONCLUDED BY SEEKING THE GROUPS' OBSERVATIONS HAVING 
JUST VISITED THE OVCARA GRAVE SITE. 
 
3.  AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH RESPONDED THAT, AS 
"AMBASSADOR TO THIS COUNTRY," HE WANTED TO EXPRESS 
THE UNITED STATES' COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS FOR 
"ALL OF THE PEOPLES OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA."  NOTING 
THAT THE OVCARA SITE HAD MADE A STRONG IMPRESSION ON 
ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, HE EXPRESSED THE 
DETERMINATION OF THE U.S. THAT THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR 
WAR CRIMES "ON ALL SIDES" WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. 
HE THEN DETAILED U.S. POLICY TOWARDS THE REGION, 
SPECIFICALLY NOTING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE TERRITORIAL 
INTEGRITY OF CROATIA AND THE DEMAND THAT THE HUMAN 
RIGHTS OF ALL GROUPS, INCLUDING THE SERBIAN 
COMMUNITY, BE PROTECTED "IN FACT AS WELL AS IN LAW." 
 
4.  HADZIC REPLIED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THE 
AMBASSADOR'S "SINCERE WISH FOR PEACE," BUT THAT IT 
WAS CLEAR "YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF CERTAIN FACTS 
 
 
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PAGE 01        ZAGREB  00157  02 OF 02  121835Z 
ACTION SS-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-01   CIAE-00  C-01     OASY-00  DOEE-00  EB-01 
      EUR-01   HA-09    H-01     IMMC-01  TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-16 
      L-01     ADS-00   NSAE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   PA-01    PM-01 
      PRS-01   P-01     RPCS-01  SCT-03   SIL-00   SNP-00   SP-00 
      SR-00    SSO-00   STR-01   TRSE-00  T-00     USIE-00  RPE-01 
      SNIS-00  NISC-02    /047W 
                  ------------------19675D  121836Z /38 
P 121921Z JAN 94 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0487 
INFO CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD// 
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD// 
497IG AMHS BOLLING AFB DC//INAGE// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
COM SIXTHFLT//N2// 
USEC BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY VIENNA 
AMEMBASSY WARSAW 
AMEMBASSY TIRANA 
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 
AMEMBASSY SOFIA 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD// 
AMEMBASSY PRAGUE 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  00157  02 OF 02  121835Z 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY BONN 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
AMEMBASSY ATHENS 
AMEMBASSY ANKARA 
USMISSION GENEVA 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000157 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/EE AND HA 
VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA 
LJUBLJANA PLEASE PASS TO AMB. ALBRIGHT'S PARTY 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL:  OADR 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, UN, HR, SR 
SUBJECT:  TFSROL:  AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH MEETS WITH 
          "KRAJINA PRESIDENT" GORAN HADZIC 
 
REGARDING THE HISTORY" OF THE REGION.  HE THEN 
CATALOGED THE SERBS' HISTORICAL GRIEVANCES AND LAID 
BLAME FOR THE WAR ON THE CROATS.  REGARDING WAR 
CRIMES, HADZIC COMPLAINED THAT WAR CRIMES IN VIETNAM, 
CAMBODIA, AND ARGENTINA HAD NEVER BEEN PUNISHED AND 
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PAGE 03        ZAGREB  00157  02 OF 02  121835Z 
ASKED WHY ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON CRIMES IN THE 
FORMER YUGOSLAVIA?  HE ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT HE WAS 
WILLING TO SEE SERB CRIMINALS FACE THE TRIBUNAL AND 
EVEN UNDERSTOOD THAT SERBS MAY NEED TO BE THE FIRST 
TRIED, "BUT NOT ONLY SERBS SHOULD BE TRIED." 
 
5.  MILAN ILIC, HEAD OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL THEN 
DELIVERED A SPEECH FULL OF BOMBAST, COMPLETE WITH 
QUOTATIONS FROM MARX (AND ELIHU ROOT), WHILE 
WAVING IN THE AIR BOOKS ALLEGEDLY PROVING CROATIAN 
GUILT FOR THE WAR.  HE STATED FIRMLY THAT SERBS WOULD 
NEVER ACCEPT BEING PART OF CROATIA AGAIN BECAUSE 
"THAT WOULD MEAN THE END OF SERBS' EXISTENCE." 
 
6.  ASKED ABOUT THE RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS TO 
THEIR HOMES IN THE KRAJINA, HADZIC SAID THAT THOSE 
NOT GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES (ADDING "WHILE MOST CROATS 
ARE, A FEW ARE NOT") CAN RETURN AS SOON AS THEY 
ACKNOWLEDGE THE KRAJINA'S SOVEREIGNTY AND BECOME 
"RSK" CITIZENS.  HADZIC QUIPPED THAT U.S. AND RSK 
POLICIES WERE NEARLY IDENTICAL, SINCE THE KRAJINA 
ALSO SUPPORTS CROATIA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY "WITHIN 
ITS CURRENT BOUNDARIES." 
 
7.  CONCLUDING THE MEETING, AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH SAID 
THAT HE FELT IT COULD MARK THE BEGINNING OF A 
DIALOGUE WITH THE SERBIAN COMMUNITY IN THE KRAJINA. 
 
8.  NOTE:  ON JANUARY 11, THE EMBASSY ASKED UNPROFOR 
TO ARRANGE A VISIT TO SECTOR EAST FOR A CONGRESSIONAL 
STAFF DELEGATION.  WHEN UNPROFOR WENT TO THE "KRAJINA 
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PAGE 04        ZAGREB  00157  02 OF 02  121835Z 
REGIONAL COUNCIL" TO "INFORM THEM OF THE VISIT" -- 
I.E., ASK THEIR PERMISSION -- THE SERB'S ANSWERED 
WITH A FLAT NO.  UNPROFOR ARGUED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO 
ANXIETY AMONG LOCAL LEADERS IN THE BUILD-UP TO THE 
FINAL ROUND OF KRAJINA ELECTIONS.  BUT THEY ALSO 
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE SERBS WERE NOT PLEASED THAT 
THEIR MEETING WITH AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH HAD FAILED TO 
CONFER ON THEM ANY INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY OR ANY 
PERCEPTIBLE IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR IMAGE.  END NOTE. 
 
GALBRAITH 
 
 
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