US embassy cable - 95ZAGREB2615

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 002615 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: 7/13/00 
TAGS: War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  SREBRENICA UPDATE: BSA TAKES AWAY DRAFT AGE 
          MALES; UNPROFOR SPOKESMAN CRITICIZES THE UNSC 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
SREBRENICA UPDATE 
----------------- 
 
2.  THE UN REPORTS THAT 26,000 REFUGEES FROM SREBRENICA 
ARE STILL BEING TAKEN CARE OF BY THE DUTCH BATTALION IN 
POTOCARI, HOWEVER, FOOD IS EXPECTED RUN OUT BEFORE THE END 
OF THE DAY.  SEVERAL THOUSAND DRAFT AGE MALES ARE REPORTED 
TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY BY THE BSA FOR QUESTIONING 
REGARDING WAR CRIMES CHARGES, BUT THE DESTINATION IS 
UNKNOWN (POSSIBLY TO BRATUNAC WHERE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS 
INDICATE THAT 48 DUTCH PEACEKEEPERS ARE STILL REING 
"DETAINED.")  SO FAR, 6,000 DISPLACED PERSONS (DP'S) HAVE 
BEEN TAKEN TO KLADANJ IN BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT TERRITORY. 
THE BSA IS TAKING REFUGEES BY BUS AS FAR AS 1-2 KILOMETERS 
FROM THE BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT LINES AND THEN TELLING THEM TO 
WALK THE REST OF THE WAY.  UNHCR WILL MOVE THE GROUP AT 
KLADANJ TO TUZLA, WHERE 4,000 DP'S ARE LOCATED AT THE 
AIRPORT, IN AN AREA THAT IS STILL SURROUNDED BY MINES. 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ZAGREB  02615  01 OF 02  131336Z 
ONE GROUP OF 33 WOUNDED REFUGEES WHO WERE UNABLE TO WALK 
TO GOBH LINES TRIED TO TURN BACK TO POTOCARI, BUT WERE 
STOPPED AT A BSA CHECKPOINT AND ARE BEING DENIED ACCESS TO 
MEDICAL CARE.  A UNHCR CONVOY FROM BELGRADE CARRYING FOOD, 
WATER, MEDECINE, AND SANITARY SUPPLIES TO POTOCARI IS 
BEING DETAINED BY THE BSA. 
 
3.  SOURCES AT THE UN AND IOM TOLD US THAT BOSNIAN 
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE ALSO IMPEDING ASSISTANCE TO 
REFUGEES IN ORDER TO WORSEN THE SITUATION AND FOCUS 
INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION.  GOBH MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO 
HASAN MURATOVIC REPORTEDLY TOOK A HARD LINE WITH UNHCR, 
SAYING THAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR CARE OF THE REFUGEES LIES 
SOLELY WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.  WE WERE TOLD 
THAT GOBH AUTHORITIES ARE BLOCKING UNHCR ATTEMPTS TO MOVE 
DP'S FROM THE TUZLA AIRPORT INTO 11,000 SPACES IN TOWN AND 
IOM REPORTED THAT 40 INJURED DP'S WERE TURNED AWAY FROM 
TUZLA HOSPITAL.  UN CONTACTS ALSO ACCUSED THE GOBH OF 
DELAYING AID CONVOYS. 
 
4.  AS OF NOON ON JULY 13, GORAZDE AND ZEPA ARE REPORTED 
TO BE CALM.  HOWEVER, THE UN STATED THAT THERE IS LITTLE 
THAT COULD BE DONE TO KEEP THE ZEPA ENCLAVE FROM BEING 
OVERRUN IN CASE OF AN ATTACK.  THERE ARE NO CURRENT PLANS 
TO REINFORCE THE 70 UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS IN THE TOWN. 
 
--------------------------------- 
CRITICISM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL 
--------------------------------- 
 
5.  COMMENTING ON THE DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION ON SREBRENICA, 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        ZAGREB  02615  01 OF 02  131336Z 
UN DEPUTY PRESS SPOKESMAN CHRIS GUNNESS SAID THAT 
REESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAFE AREA IS NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN 
AS IT WOULD REQUIRE RECONQUERING THE ENCLAVE.  THE 
SITUATION IN SREBRENICA, HE SAID, SHOWS THAT THE CONCEPT 
OF SAFE AREAS IS UNREALISTIC.  THIS CRISIS IS ANOTHER 
EXAMPLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PURSUING LOFTY 
OBJECTIVES WITHOUT PROVIDING THE UN WITH SUFFICIENT 
RESOURCES TO CARRY THEM OUT.  WHEN ASKED IF UNPROFOR WILL 
PROTECT THE OTHER SAFE AREAS IN CASE OF ATTACK, THE 
SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE REPLIED THAT UNPROFOR COULD DO THIS 
ONLY IF MEMBER STATES HAVE THE POLITICAL WILL TO PROVIDE 
THE MILITARY RESOURCES.  REFERRING TO A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR 
THE RAPID REACTION FORCE, GUNNESS SAID THAT TROOP 
CONTRIBUTORS STILL HAVE NOT INDICATED HOW THIS FORCE IS TO 
BE USED. 
 
------------------------- 
GOC TO STATE ITS POSITION 
------------------------- 
 
6.  CHARGE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS HAVE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NNNNPTQ5597 
 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ5597 
 
PAGE 01        ZAGREB  02615  02 OF 02  131336Z 
ACTION EUR-01 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   AMAD-01  CIAE-00  OASY-00  DOEE-00  SRPP-00 
      EB-01    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-08    L-01     ADS-00 
      NSAE-00  OIC-02   PA-01    PM-00    PRS-01   P-01     SP-00 
      SSO-00   SS-00    STR-01   TRSE-00  USIE-00  SNIS-00  NISC-01 
      PMB-00   PRME-01  DRL-09   G-00       /030W 
                  ------------------D91546  131336Z /38 
O 131425Z JUL 95 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6394 
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
NATO EU COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
USLO SKOPJE 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-4/J-5// 
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//POLAD// 
COMSIXTHFLT //N2// 
JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK 
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD// 
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XOX/IN/POLAD// 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ZAGREB  02615  02 OF 02  131336Z 
NSC WASHDC 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 002615 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: 7/13/00 
TAGS:  MOPS PHUM NL UN BK 
SUBJECT:  SREBRENICA UPDATE: BSA TAKES AWAY DRAFT AGE 
          MALES; UNPROFOR SPOKESMAN CRITICIZES THE UNSC 
 
BEEN INVITED TO ATTEND A BREIFING ON THE CROATIAN POSITION 
ON THE SITUATION IN SREBRENICA BY FOREIGN MINISTER GRANIC 
THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 13.  WE EXPECT THE MESSAGE WILL BE 
SIMILAR TO THAT EXPRESSED BY CROATIA'S UN AMBASSADOR MARIO 
NOBILO IN NEW YORK ON JULY 12, TO THE EFFECT THAT CROATIA 
DEPLORES THE OUTCOME IN SREBRENICA AND IS CONCERNED ABOUT 
ITS POTENTIAL TO CREATE NEW REFUGEE FLOWS, RUT WILL NOT 
TAKE ANY CONCRETE ACTION IN RESPONSE.  NOBILO STRESSED, 
HOWEVER, THAT ANY SIMILAR LARGE-SCALE OFFENSIVE ACTION 
AGAINST THE BIHAC POCKET MIGHT CREATE UP TO 60,000 
REFUGEES AND THUS CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO CROATIA'S WELL- 
BEING.  THEREFORE, THE GOC "MIGHT BE FORCED TO TAKE 
MEASURES FOR ENSURING THE STATUS OF BIHAC AS A PROTECTED 
AREA IF THAT STATUS WERE THREATENED." 
 
KLEMP 
 
 
 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NNNN