US embassy cable - 95ZAGREB2174

UNCLASSIFIED LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 02174 
 
SIPDIS 

 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
 
 
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 002174 
 
 
VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA; USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
BAKU FOR FINN 
 
E.O. 12356:  N/A 
TAGS: War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  GOC OFFERS MORE DETAIL ON SECTOR WEST KIA, 
          GRAVES, DETAINEES 
 
REF:  ZAGREB 2007 
 
1.  AN OFFICIAL OF THE UN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN 
ZAGREB (PROTECT) SAYS THAT CENTER DIRECTOR MAZOWIECKI, 
IN THE WAKE OF HIS CHARGES THAT THERE WERE "MASS 
GRAVES" IN PARTS OF SECTOR WEST, HAD TALKS WITH DEPUTY 
PRIME MINISTER KOSTOVIC TO TRY TO RESOLVE SOME OF THE 
REMAINING DISCREPANCIES AND HOLES IN INFORMATION 
PROVIDED BY THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT (REFTEL). 
 
2.  KOSTOVIC REPORTEDLY GAVE THE UNCHR THE FOLLOWING 
DATA ON DETAINEES:  205 PERSONS REMAIN IN DETENTION 
FROM THE SECTOR WEST OPERATION; 186 OF THESE ARE 
SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE WAR CRIMES CHARGES AND THEY ARE 
DISTRIBUTED AMONG FOUR DETENTION CENTERS, IN BJELOVAR, 
POZEGA, OSIJEK, AND SPLIT.  AN ADDITIONAL 19 PERSONS 
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ARE DESCRIBED AS "FOREIGN NATIONALS" BEING CONSIDERED 
AS POWS, AND THEY ARE DETAINED IN SPLIT. 
 
3.  KOSTOVIC SAID THE GOC HAD TURNED OVER A COMPLETE 
LIST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS TO THE CROATIAN RED CROSS. 
MAZOWIECKI OBSERVED THAT THE CROATIAN RED CROSS MIGHT 
NOT BE VIEWED BY SERBS AS THE MOST NEUTRAL 
ORGANIZATION.  KOSTOVIC AGREED AND PROMISED TO PROVIDE 
THE DATA ALSO TO ICRC.  THE ICRC HAS CONFIRMED TO THE 
UNCHR THAT IS HAS BOTH A LIST AND/AND ACCESS TO THE 
DETAINED PERSONS. 
 
4.  REGARDING THE CHARGES OF MASS GRAVES, (FYI, WE NOW 
UNDERSTAND MAZOWIECKI'S PEOPLE OBSERVED, NOT "MASS 
GRAVES" AS SUCH BUT ROWS OF NEW GRAVEMOUNDS), KOSTOVIC 
PROVIDED THE UNCHR A LIST OF THE BURIAL SITES WHERE A 
TOTAL OF 188 FATALITIES FROM THE SECTOR WEST OPERATION 
HAD BEEN BURIED.  156 OF THESE HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED; 20 
WERE DEFINITELY CIVILIANS, MOST EVIDENTLY KILLED IN THE 
CROSSFIRE OF A SKIRMISH NEAR NOVI VAROS.  AN ADDITIONAL 
34 WERE "POSSIBLE" CIVILIANS -- THOUGHT TO BE CIVILIANS 
ALTHOUGH MANY WERE DRESSED IN UNIFORMS OR PARTIAL 
UNIFORMS.  KOSTOVIC REPEATED THE GOC'S OFFER TO MAKE 
INFORMATION ON THE IDENTITIES OF THE CIVILIAN DEAD 
AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUAL RELATIVES WHO MIGHT INQUIRE. 
HE SPECIFICALLY REJECTED THE IDEA OF PROVIDING THE 
NAMES OF THE MILITARY DEAD ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE 
"RSK" HAD NEVER PROVIDED SIMILAR INFORMATION AFTER THE 
FIGHTING IN EASTERN SLAVONIA (VUKOVAR). 
- 
5. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW SAYING THERE WERE 10 SERB 
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WOUNDED FOUND AFTER THE OPERATION; THEY HAD BEEN 
TREATED AND RELEASED. 
 
6.  ASKED IF UN OR OTHER AUTHORITIES INTENDED TO PURSUE 
THE ISSUE OF MASS GRAVES OR OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS 
FURTHER, OUR SOURCE THOUGHT THIS RELATIVELY UNLIKELY. 
REGARDING THE GRAVES, FM GRANIC HAD PROMISED WAR CRIMES 
TRIBUNAL CHIEF PROSECUTOR GOLDSTONE DURING THE LATTER'S 
VISIT HERE THAT CROATIA WOULD COOPERATE WITH ANY 
INVESTIGATION.  IT SEEMED POSSIBLE, HOWEVER, THAT THE 
TRIBUNAL WOULD FIND INSUFFICIENT CAUSE TO PURSUE THE 
MATTER FURTHER OR TO SEEK EXHUMATION.  OUR CONTACT 
BELIEVED MAZOWIECKI WAS RELATIVELY SATISFIED WITH THE 
EXPLANATIONS GIVEN BY THE GOC.  REGARDING THE OVERBLOWN 
ESTIMATE OF KIAS GIVEN BY DEFMIN SUSAK, HE FELT THERE 
WERE ENOUGH CREDIBLE SOURCES SUGGESTING THAT SUSAK HAD, 
IN EFFECT, BEEN SPEAKING WITHOUT BASIS.  THE UN IN THE 
BANJA LUKA AREA HAD REPORTED "SEVERAL HUNDRED" WOUNDED 
AMONG THOSE WHO FLED FROM CROATIAN TO BOSNIAN 
TERRITORY 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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ACTION EUR-01 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   AMAD-01  CIAE-00  OASY-00  SRPP-00  EB-01 
      H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-08    L-01     ADS-00   NSAE-00 
      OIC-02   PA-01    PRS-01   P-01     SP-00    SS-00    STR-01 
      TRSE-00  USIE-00  SNIS-00  NISC-01  PRME-01  DRL-09   G-00 
        /030W 
                  ------------------CCE5B5  061627Z /38 
P 061712Z JUN 95 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6038 
INFO CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21// 
JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK 
USNMR SHAPE BE//POLAD// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5// 
HQUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
COM SIXTHFLT//N2// 
WHITEHOUSE WASHDC 
NATO EU COLLECTIVE 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
USLO SKOPJE 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USMISSION GENEVA 
AMEMBASSY BAKU 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
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AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
 
 
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 002174 
 
 
VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA; USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
BAKU FOR FINN 
 
E.O. 12356:  N/A 
TAGS:  PHUM HR 
SUBJECT:  GOC OFFERS MORE DETAIL ON SECTOR WEST KIA, 
          GRAVES, DETAINEES 
 
IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE ASSAULT, SO THAT THE FIGURE OF 
ONLY 10 WIA REMAINING ON THE CROATIAN SIDE COULD WELL 
BE CORRECT. 
 
7.  COMMENT:  ALTHOUGH THE GOC HAS NOT BEEN PROACTIVE 
IN OFFERING INFORMATION IT WOULD BE IN ITS OWN INTEREST 
TO GIVE FREELY, THE UN HAS EVIDENTLY MADE SOME HEADWAY 
IN GETTING THE INFORMATION NEEDED.  NEVERTHELESS, SERB 
POLITICIANS IN CROATIA SUCH AS THE SNS'S VESELIN 
PEJNOVIC CONTINUE TO CALL (WITH JUSTIFICATION) FOR 
CLARIFICATION OF NUMERICAL DISCREPANCIES (SUSAK'S 
ESTIMATE OF 1200 WOUNDED VS. KOSTOVIC'S 10), THE STATUS 
OF THE DETAINEES AND THE CHARGES AGAINST THEM, AND 
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE RETURN TO SERBS OF THEIR PROPERTY. 
CONFIDENCE-BUILDING HAS A LONG WAY TO GO YET. 
 
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