US embassy cable - 95ZAGREB2227

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 002227 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE 
 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL: 5/10/1996 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ZAGREB  02227  01 OF 02  091142Z 
TAGS: War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  SERB LEADER DZAKULA SUGGESTS MEASURES FOR 
          CONFIDENCE-BUILDING AND ENCOURAGING SERB RETURN 
 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  POLOFFS MET WITH VELJKO DZAKULA AT HIS REQUEST JUNE 6. 
HE WANTED TO SUGGEST CONCRETE MEASURES TO BEGIN THE 
SERIOUS REINTEGRATION OF THE REMAINING SERB AND RETURNING 
CROAT COMMUNITIES OF WESTERN SLAVONIA.  DZAKULA ESTIMATED 
THAT BETWEEN 800 TO 1000 SERBS WERE STILL LIVING IN PAKRAC 
COUNTY AND ANOTHER 200 REMAINED IN OKUCANI.  HE EMPHASIZED 
THAT THIS REMAINING SERB POPULATION WAS ATTEMPTING TO 
REORGANIZE THEIR LIVES UNDER A CROAT-CONTROLLED SYSTEM, 
BUT THE CROATIANS HAD SHOWED LITTLE GOODWILL SO FAR TOWARD 
KEEPING THE SERBIAN POPULATION IN THE AREA.  HIGH-LEVEL 
GOC OFFICIALS HAD PROMISED DZAKULA TO WORK TOWARDS 
ENCOURAGING SERBS TO RETURN FROM BOSNIA AND SECTOR EAST, 
HE SAID, BUT LITTLE HAD COME OF THESE TALKS.  THE MINISTRY 
OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS (MUP) WAS MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR 
MILITARY-AGE MEN TO GET CITIZENSHIP PAPERS (DOMOVNICA), 
ALTHOUGH WOMEN AND ELDERLY HAD RECEIVED THEM.  DZAKULA HAD 
BEEN OFFERED A DOMOVNICA, BUT REFUSED TO ACCEPT ONE UNTIL 
EVERY SERB IN THE COUNTY RECEIVED HIS.  DAILY CIVIL LIFE 
WAS STILL A PROBLEM.  ABOUT 180 MEN WERE STILL JAILED 
AROUND THE COUNTRY FOR ARMED REBELLION EVEN THOUGH AN 
AMNESTY HAD BEEN PROCLAIMED AND GOC OFFICIALS HAD PROMISED 
TO RELEASE THEM.  EVEN MUNDANE THINGS SUCH AS GATHERING 
WOOD FOR FUEL HAD BECOME A PROBLEM. 
 
3.  DZAKULA IDENTIFIED THREE PRECONDITIONS WHICH WOULD 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ZAGREB  02227  01 OF 02  091142Z 
ENCOURAGE THE DISPLACED TO RETURN TO WESTERN SLAVONIA. 
THE AMNESTY DECLARED BY THE GOC HAD TO BE COMPLIED WITH 
AND EVEN BROADENED TO INCLUDE  NOT ONLY ARMED REBELLION, 
BUT ALSO ORGANIZING, SALE OF WEAPONS, AND OTHER SIMILAR 
CHARGES.  ONLY THOSE SERBS AND CROATS CHARGED WITH WAR 
CRIMES SHOULD NOT BE PARDONED.  THE REMAINING PRISONERS IN 
CROAT JAILS HAD TO BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY IF THERE WERE 
NO PENDING WAR CRIMES CHARGES AGAINST THEM.  SECOND, A 
MORATORIUM MUST BE IMPOSED ON THE DRAFTING AND 
MOBILIZATION INTO THE CROATIAN ARMY OF SERBS FROM WEST 
SLAVONIA.  SERBS DISPLACED TO BANJA LUKA AND ELSEWHERE 
MUST BE MADE TO FEEL THEY WOULD RETURN FROM AN AREA OF WAR 
TO AN AREA OF PEACE IN WESTERN SLAVONIA. 
 
4.  THIRD, THE POLITICAL COMPOSITION OF THE LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT NEEDED TO BE WORKED OUT TO BALANCE THE TWO 
POPULATIONS.  THE CONTINUED PRESENCE OF SO MANY POLICE TO 
PROTECT THE POPULATION WAS ENCOURAGING BUT THE POLICE 
FORCE NEEDED TO BE REORGANIZED ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL 
CENSUS OF 1991.  WHILE DZAKULA ACKNOWLEDGED THE SMALL 
REMAINING POPULATION OF SERBS IN THE AREA MADE 
REPRESENTATION PROPORTIONAL TO THE 1991 CENSUS FIGURES 
IMPOSSIBLE IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE, HE CLAIMED THAT THERE 
WERE SEVERAL QUALIFIED SERBIAN POLICEMEN IN THE REGION WHO 
WISHED TO RETURN TO THEIR PREVIOUS JOBS.  ON JUNE 7, THE 
GOC HAD ANNOUNCED THE CREATION OF A COMMISSION TO MONITOR 
THE PEACEFUL REINTEGRATION OF THE PAKRAC AND LIPIK 
COMMUNITIES.  THIS COMMITTEE WOULD CONSIST OF FIVE 
MEMBERS, TWO OF WHICH WOULD ALWAYS BE SERBS, INCLUDING THE 
COMMITTEE'S PRESIDENT.  ALTHOUGH SUPPORTIVE OF CREATING 
JOINT LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES, DZAKULA INSISTED THAT 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        ZAGREB  02227  01 OF 02  091142Z 
THE SERBS MUST HAVE A SAY IN THE CREATION OF SUCH 
STRUCTURES, AND NOT HAVE THEM IMPOSED.  HE CRITICIZED THE 
FACT THAT THE GOC-PROPOSED BODY WOULD HAVE A CROAT 
MAJORITY, AND THAT IT WOULD ONLY HAVE ADVISORY DUTIES, 
WITH ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION DEPENDENT ON ACTION BY THE 
OVERWHELMINGLY CROAT COUNTY COUNCIL. 
 
5.  DZAKULA SUGGESTED SEVERAL CONCRETE CONFIDENCE-BUILDING 
MEASURES THAT MI 
GHT CREATE GOODWILL BETWEEN THE LOCAL SERB 
POPULATION AND RETURNING CROATS.  A CONVOY SHOULD BE 
ORGANIZED TO TRANSPORT OVER ONE HUNDRED SERBS DISPLACED IN 
1991 TO SEE THEIR DESTROYED HOMES IN THE NORTHERN, CROAT- 
CONTROLLED AREA OF FORMER SECTOR WEST.  IMMEDIATE CREDITS 
TO REBUILD HOMES NEEDED TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO BOTH 
CROATS AND SERBS IN THE REGION.  SUCH FUNDING OUGHT TO BE 
DONE ON AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, HE SUGGESTED, SINCE THE 
GOC HAD SUPPLIED NO SUCH CREDITS TO SERBS SO FAR.  A THIRD 
SUGGESTION FOCUSED ON REBUILDING THE ECONOMIC BASIS FOR 
THE LOCAL PEOPLE.  MANY LOCALS IN THIS AGRICULTURAL 
COMMUNITY WHO HAD REMAINED HAD SOLD THEIR LIVESTOCK AND 
FARM EQUIPMENT IN THE PAST MONTH TO CROATS AT EXTREMELY 
LOW PRICES, AND WERE LEFT WITH NO READY SOURCE OF FOOD OR 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1906 
 
PAGE 01        ZAGREB  02227  02 OF 02  091142Z 
ACTION EUR-01 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   CIAE-00  SMEC-00  OASY-00  SRPP-00  EB-01 
      FBIE-00  H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-08    LAB-01   L-01 
      ADS-00   M-00     NSAE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   PA-01    PM-00 
      PRS-01   P-01     SCT-00   SP-00    SS-00    STR-01   TRSE-00 
      T-00     USIE-00  PMB-00   PRME-01  PRMC-01  DRL-09   G-00 
        /031W 
                  ------------------CE1D3B  091142Z /38 
P 091225Z JUN 95 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6080 
INFO USLO SKOPJE 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
NATO EU COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
USMISSION GENEVA 
SECDEF WASHDC 
NSC WASHDC 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 002227 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE 
 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL: 5/10/1996 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ZAGREB  02227  02 OF 02  091142Z 
TAGS:  PREL PHUM PGOV UN HR 
SUBJECT:  SERB LEADER DZAKULA SUGGESTS MEASURES FOR 
          CONFIDENCE-BUILDING AND ENCOURAGING SERB RETURN 
 
METHOD TO TILL THEIR LAND IN THESE SUMMER MONTHS.  DZAKULA 
SAID THAT SUCH FAMILIES SHOULD BE GIVEN THE CONFISCATED 
ANIMALS OF SERBS WHO HAD LEFT THE REGION (UNTIL THE LATTER 
GROUP RETURNED) AND SHOULD BE SOLD BACK THEIR EQUIPMENT TO 
CONTINUE THEIR LIVELIHOODS. 
 
6.  THE CROATS MUST NOT WAIT FOR THE OTHER THREE SECTORS 
TO BE REINTEGRATED TO SOLVE THE "SERBIAN PROBLEM."  THAT 
PROCESS MUST BE STARTED NOW, INSISTED DZAKULA.  LOCAL 
SERBS BELIEVE THERE IS AN EXTREME RESISTANCE ON THE PART 
OF THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT TO COOPERATION WITH THE SERB 
POPULATION.  THE REMAINING SERBS WERE QUICKLY LOSING FAITH 
AND THEIR WILL TO STAY.  GROUPS SUCH AS "THE ASSOCIATION 
FOR CROATIAN REFUGEES" MUST BE RENAMED AND BEGIN WORK TO 
RETURN ALL REFUGEES IN CROATIA, INCLUDING SERBS, CROATS 
AND OTHERS.  THERE WERE 14,000 DISPLACED CROATS FROM THE 
AREA, BUT 75,000 DISPLACED SERBS, HE SAID.  (NOTE: THE 
75,000 FIGURE IS FOR SERBS DISPLACED IN 1991 AND SINCE.) 
THE GOC MUST BEGIN TO SHOW IT WAS INTERESTED IN SOLVING 
THE PROBLEMS OF ALL THESE PEOPLE.  ONLY THEN WOULD THE 
FLEEING SERB POPULATION BEGIN TO RETURN. 
 
GALBRAITH 
 
 
 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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