US embassy cable - 94ZAGREB467

CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 00467 
 
SIPDIS 
 

AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J2I// 
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY BONN 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
AMEMBASSY ATHENS 
AMEMBASSY ANKARA 
USMISSION GENEVA 
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000467 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA 
 
E.O. 12356:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, HR, PHUM, HR, BK, War Crimes 
SUBJECT: TFSROL: THE MEDIA WAR:  CROAT-MUSLIM 
         NAME-CALLING 
 
1. (U)  THIS EMBASSY CONTINUES TO NOTE THE ROLE OF THE 
LOCAL MEDIA IN HEIGHTENING ETHNIC TENSIONS.  GOVERNMENT 
OWNED AND CONTROLLED CROATIAN TV (HTV) ON SATURDAY, 
JAN. 29, BROADCAST TWO UNSCHEDULED DOCUMENTARIES 
BACK-TO-BACK IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENING NEWS.  THE 
FIRST WAS A TWENTY MINUTE FILM CALLED "THE ROAD TO 
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CENTRAL BOSNIA" AND THE SECOND WAS A LONGER FEATURE 
CALLED "THE CHRONOLOGY OF MUSLIM WAR CRIMES AGAINST 
CROATS IN B-H."  THE EVENING MOVIE WAS DELAYED AN HOUR 
IN ORDER TO AIR THESE DOCUMENTARIES.  THE TV SPECIALS 
WERE NOT ON THE DAILY TV SCHEDULE BUT HAD BEEN WELL 
ADVERTISED DURING THE DAY ON HTV.  AS THE TITLES 
INDICATE, THEY FOCUSED ON MUSLIM MISDEEDS IN CENTRAL 
B-H.  BOTH DOCUMENTARIES APPEARED HASTILY PUT TOGETHER, 
AND WERE POORLY PRODUCED.  NEITHER WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A 
NARRATED SCRIPT AND BOTH CONSISTED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY 
OF AMATEUR FOOTAGE AND TAPED INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL 
BOSNIAN CROATS DESCRIBING MUSLIM ATROCITIES.  THERE WAS 
LITTLE DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED AS TO THE TIME AND PLACE 
OF THE EVENTS DESCRIBED. 
 
2. (U)  "THE ROAD TO CENTRAL BOSNIA" INCLUDED 
INTERVIEWS WITH CROAT RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL BOSNIA (ALL 
EXPRESSING FEAR OF MUSLIM FORCES) AND CROAT SOLDIERS. 
THE OVERALL MESSAGE WAS "THE ENEMY IS COMING AND WE ARE 
PREPARED."  "THE CHRONOLOGY OF WAR CRIMES" WAS MORE 
POWERFUL WITH GRAPHIC PICTURES OF CORPSES AND WEEPING 
SURVIVORS, MOSTLY WOMEN.  IN ALL CASES, MUSLIMS WERE 
NAMED AS THE PERPETRATORS OF THE MASSACRES.  MOST OF 
THE FOOTAGE CLEARLY DATED FROM THE FALL OR BEFORE. 
- 
3. (C)  ONE EMBARRASSED PROFESSIONAL TV JOURNALIST 
COMPLAINED TO OUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER THAT THIS LINE 
OF TV PROGRAMMING WAS DIRECTED BY THE HEAD OF HTV, 
ANTON VRDOLJAK.  VRDOLJAK IS A HIGHLY UNPOPULAR, BUT 
INFLUENTIAL, MEMBER OF THE RULING PARTY AND THE 
CROATIAN PARLIAMENT.  ACCORDING TO THE JOURNALIST, THE 
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PAGE 04        ZAGREB  00467  01 OF 02  021626Z 
PROGRAMMING CHIEF AT HTV WAS AFRAID OF VRDOLJAK AND 
WOULD NEVER RESIST WHAT THE "BIG MAN" DIRECTED. 
 
4. (U)  THESE TV BROADCASTS CONTRAST TO THOSE IN THE 
AUTUMN WHICH DEPICTED GRAPHICALLY (USING CNN FOOTAGE) 
STARVING MUSLIMS IN THE HVO-RUN DETENTION CAMPS AND THE 
HVO'S DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD BRIDGE IN MOSTAR.  HTV HAS 
ALSO AIRED SHOWS WITH SURPRISINGLY CANDID CRITICISM 
FROM OPPOSITION LEADERS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT'S B-H 
POLICY.  THUS, THESE CRUDE PROPAGANDIST EFFORTS 
REPRESENT A BACKWARD STEP FOR HTV, AS WELL AS A SIGN OF 
A DEGENERATING POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT. 
 
5. (C)  ANXIETY AMONG MUSLIM RESIDENTS OF ZAGREB WAS 
EXPRESSED BY THE WIFE OF A LEADING MUSLIM HUMANITARIAN 
AID WORKER WHO IS ALSO A PROFESSIONAL.  SHE DECLINED AN 
INVITATION FOR A PRESTIGIOUS USIA VISITORS' PROGRAM 
BECAUSE OF FEAR THAT HER EMPLOYER WOULD FIRE HER IF SHE 
WAS ABSENT FROM HER JOB.  OBVIOUSLY AGITATED AND 
FRUSTRATED SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN WARNED FOUR TIMES 
 
 
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ACTION SS-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-01   CIAE-00  SMEC-00  C-01     OASY-00  DOEE-00 
      EB-01    EUR-01   HA-09    H-01     IMMC-01  TEDE-00  INR-00 
      IO-16    LAB-01   L-01     ADS-00   NEA-01   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     RPE-01   SNIS-00  NISC-02    /049W 
                  ------------------20F10F  021627Z /38 
O 021620Z FEB 94 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0729 
INFO SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD// 
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD// 
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
COMSIXTHFLT NAPLES IT//N2// 
USIA WASHDC 4220 
USEC BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY VIENNA 
AMEMBASSY WARSAW 
AMEMBASSY TIRANA 
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 
AMEMBASSY SOFIA 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
497IG AMHS BOLLING AFB DC//INAGE// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
AMEMBASSY PRAGUE 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  00467  02 OF 02  021626Z 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J2I// 
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY BONN 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
AMEMBASSY ATHENS 
AMEMBASSY ANKARA 
USMISSION GENEVA 
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000467 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA 
 
E.O. 12356:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, HR, BK 
SUBJECT: TFSROL: THE MEDIA WAR:  CROAT-MUSLIM 
         NAME-CALLING 
 
THAT HER PERFORMANCE WAS BEING CLOSELY MONITORED.  SHE 
SAID THAT FINDING A NEW JOB AS A MUSLIM IN CROATIA 
 
WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE.  WE HAVE ALSO HEARD 
REPORTS OF GRAFFITI SAYING "MUSLIMS GET OUT" BEING 
SCRAWLED IN ENGLISH ON THE DOORS OF MUSLIMS' APARTMENTS. 
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6. (U)  AT THE SAME TIME, THE B-H GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO 
BEGUN NAME-CALLING.  IN THE PAST FEW DAYS, AS SEEN IN 
FBIS REPORTS, RADIO SARAJEVO HAS BEGUN REFERRING TO 
BOSNIAN CROATS AS "USTASHA."  OFFICIAL B-H GOVERNMENT 
ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE ALSO BEGUN USING THE TERM.  THE 
DAILY "REVIEW OF MAJOR EVENTS" PREPARED BY THE B-H 
FOREIGN MINISTRY AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE BOSNIAN EMBASSY 
IN ZAGREB NOW REFERS TO CROAT FORCES AS USTASHA. 
 
GALBRAITH 
 
 
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