US embassy cable - 95ZAGREB3309

UNCLASSIFIED LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 03 ZAGREB 03309 
 
SIPDIS 

 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PREF, MOPS, HR, PREF, MOPS, HR, PREF, MOPS, HR, BK, War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  CODEL KERREY/WARNER PART TWO:  VISIT TO KNIN 
 
 
DECONTROL UPON RECEIPT -- SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- 
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  SENATORS WARNER AND KERREY WERE BRIEFED IN KNIN IN 
THE UN COMPOUND BY LOCAL UNCRO MILITARY OFFICERS AND 
OBSERVERS, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER, 
THE EC MONITORING MISSION AND UNHCR.  THE UN AND ECMM 
ASSESSMENTS OF THE ATTACK AND AFTERMATH OF THE HV'S 
"OPERATION STORM" WERE BLUNT AND FEATURED DISTURBING 
ALLEGATIONS OF SIGNIFICANT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, 
INCLUDING LARGE-SCALE BURNING OF SERB HOMES AND VILLAGES, 
SOME APPARENT MURDERS OF CIVILIANS AND PROBLEMS WITH 
DISPLACED PERSONS.  WARNER AND KERREY ALSO MET BRIEFLY 
WITH GENERAL CERMAK, CROATIAN MILITARY GOVERNOR OF KNIN, 
AND DISCUSSED CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE AREA AND THE PLIGHT OF 
DISPLACED PERSONS IN THE WAKE OF MILITARY OPERATIONS. 
THE CODEL AND ESCORTING EMBOFFS OBSERVED THAT MOST HOMES 
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IN THE AREA OUTSIDE OF THE TOWNS OF DRNIS AND KNIN HAD 
BEEN BURNED.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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MILITARY ASPECTS OF "STORM" 
--------------------------- 
 
2.  THE OPENING MILITARY ASSESSMENT BY LOCAL UNCRO 
COMMANDER FOURAND AND HIS BRIEFER, COLONEL BALFOUR (BOTH 
CANADIAN OFFICERS), POSITED THAT CROATIAN FORCES (HV) 
WERE SUCCESSFUL NOT BECAUSE OF MILITARY PROWESS (BALFOUR 
CHARACTERIZED SOME HV TROOPS IN KNIN AS "A MOTLEY 
COLLECTION OF THUGS") BUT BECAUSE OF THE "RSK" 
LEADERSHIP'S EARLY DECISION TO ORDER EVACUATION RATHER 
THAN MOUNT A SUSTAINED DEFENSIVE CAMPAIGN.  FOURAND AND 
BALFOUR NOTED THAT THE TERRAIN OF FORMER UN SECTOR SOUTH 
IS "A DEFENDER'S DREAM" AND THAT EVEN MARGINALLY 
EFFECTIVE "RSK" COMMAND AND TACTICS COULD HAVE BOGGED HV 
ATTACKERS DOWN IN A PROLONGED, DEBILITATING FIGHT. 
 
3.  SENATOR KERREY CHALLENGED THE VIEW THAT THE HV'S 
OPERATION WAS A SUCCESS ONLY BY DEFAULT, NOTING THE 
EXTREMELY RAPID AND COMPREHENSIVE NATURE OF THE SERB 
DEFEAT.  BALFOUR REPEATED THAT THE "RSK" DECISION TO 
EVACUATE REMAINED THE KEY REASON FOR THE CROATIAN 
VICTORY, AND FURTHER NOTED THE HV OPERATION IN SECTOR 
SOUTH INVOLVED LITTLE INGENUITY AND MIRRORED EARLIER 
"RSK" AND BSA TACTICS:  I.E., STAND OFF AND HAMMER THE 
ENEMY'S MILITARY AND CIVILIAN CENTERS WITH ARTILLERY -- 
THE UN CLAIMED OVER 2,000 IMPACTS IN KNIN CITY -- THEN 
MOVE IN TO TAKE CONTROL OF SURRENDERED OR DESERTED AREAS. 
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PAGE 04        ZAGREB  03309  01 OF 03  301520Z 
(COMMENT: THE CENTER OF KNIN SHOWED LITTLE DAMAGE, BUT 
THE UN CLAIMS THE HV UNDERTOOK A CLEAN-UP OF THE AREA 
DURING THE PERIOD OF AUGUST 5-8, WHILE THE UN WAS STILL 
CONFINED TO ITS COMPOUND.  THE CITY HAD ALSO BEEN SPRUCED 
UP AUGUST 26 FOR PRESIDENT TUDJMAN'S REOPENING OF THE 
ZAGREB-KNIN-SPLIT RAILROAD.  END COMMENT.)  THE UNCRO 
OFFICERS AND THE MILITARY OBSERVER ALSO CLAIMED THAT THE 
HV AT ONE POINT THREATENED DIRECT ATTACK ON THE UN 
COMPOUND IN KNIN AND GAVE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF HV ATTACKS 
ON UN OBERVATION POSTS (THERE WERE TWO UN CASUALTIES) AND 
OF HV ADVANCES THAT "WENT NOWHERE" WHEN SERB TROOPS 
OFFERED MEANINGFUL RESISTENCE. 
 
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND DISPLACED PERSONS 
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PAGE 01        ZAGREB  03309  02 OF 03  301521Z 
ACTION H-06 
 
INFO  LOG-00   OASY-00  DS-00    EUR-01   TEDE-00  IO-02    ADS-00 
      OIC-02   SS-00    DSCC-00    /011W 
                  ------------------E8021C  301521Z /38 
R 301503Z AUG 95 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7079 
INFO AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
DIA WASHDC 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-5PMA/J21// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
NSC WASHDC 
NATO EU COLLECTIVE 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
COMSIXTHFLT //N2// 
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN// 
JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK 
USNMR SHAPE BE//POLAD// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD// 
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD// 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USMISSION GENEVA 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
USLO SKOPJE 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  03309  02 OF 03  301521Z 
 
 
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 03 ZAGREB 003309 
 
 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, SHUM, PREF, MOPS, HR, YU, BK 
SUBJECT:  CODEL KERREY/WARNER PART TWO:  VISIT TO KNIN 
 
4.  THE MOST DRAMATIC AND DISTURBING BRIEFINGS DEALT WITH 
REPORTS FROM THE EC MONITORING MISSION AND UN HUMAN 
RIGHTS CENTER REPRESENTATIVES THAT THE HV OR OTHER CROAT 
ELEMENTS HAD ENGAGED IN SIGNIFICANT HUMAN RIGHTS 
VIOLATIONS IN THE AFTERMATH OF "STORM," INCLUDING WIDE- 
SPREAD BURNING OF SERB HOMES AND VILLAGES AND SOME 
APPARENT MURDERS OF CIVILIANS. 
 
5.  BURNINGS:  THE ECMM MONITOR, SOREN LIBORIUS, 
ESTIMATED THAT AT LEAST 60 PERCENT OF FORMERLY SERB 
DWELLINGS HAD BEEN BURNED FROM AUGUST 7 THROUGH AUGUST 
24, AND SUPPLIED A WRITTEN REPORT DOCUMENTING DOZENS OF 
SPECIFIC INCIDENTS.  IN SOME INSTANCES, ECMM MONITORS 
OBSERVED HOUSES BEING BURNT BY UNIFORMED HV SOLDIERS 
SUPPLIED BY FUEL TRUCKS IN AREAS UNDER HV OR POLICE 
CONTROL.  IN OTHER INSTANCES, MIXED GROUPS OF CIVILIANS 
AND MILITARY PERSONNEL WERE SEEN BURNING HOUSES.  WHILE 
ECMM AND THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPS ATTRIBUTED SOME 
BURNINGS TO INCIDENTS OF INDIVIDUAL RETRIBUTION OR 
THUGGERY, THEY BELIEVED THERE MAY EXIST AN ORGANIZED 
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PAGE 03        ZAGREB  03309  02 OF 03  301521Z 
CROATIAN EFFORT TO DEPRIVE WOULD-BE SERB RETURNEES OF 
HABITATION.  THEY OBSERVED A WIDE PATTERN OF DESTRUCTION 
OF REMOTE SERB HOMES AND VILLAGES WHILE TRADITIONAL 
CROATIAN VILLAGES AS WELL AS LARGER POPULATION CENTERS 
(E.G., KNIN, VRILKA, DRNIS) WERE SPARED, POSSIBLY AS 
POTENTIAL HOUSING FOR RETURNING CROATIANS DISPLACED IN 
1991-92.  (COMMENT:  IN ADDITION TO THE UN AND ECMM 
COMMENTS, EMBOFFS WITH WARNER AND KERREY SAW SEVERAL 
RECENTLY BURNED HOUSES AND VILLAGES IN THE AREA OF KNIN. 
APPROXIMATELY 80 - 90 PERCENT OF BUILDINGS ALONG THE ROAD 
THROUGH DRNIS - KNIN - VRPOLJE - KIJEVO HAD BEEN BURNED. 
EMBOFFS SAW TWO FIRES IN DRNIS AND OTHERS ALONG THE ROAD. 
IN SOME AREAS THE AIR SMELLED OF RECENTLY-BURNED 
BUILDINGS.  END COMMENT.) 
 
6.  KILLINGS:  IN ADDITION TO HOUSE-BURNING INCIDENTS, 
THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER REPRESENTATIVE, E.J. FLYNN, 
AND THE ECMM REP RECOUNTED CHILLING CASES OF APPARENT 
MURDER OF UNARMED SERBS AFTER THE CROATIAN MILITARY 
OPERATION WAS COMPLETE.  IN ONE INSTANCE IN A REMOTE 
RURAL AREA, A CANADIAN UN OFFICER OBSERVED HV SOLDIERS 
POSING FOR A PHOTO WITH AN ELDERLY SERB, "DISPLAYING HIM 
LIKE A HUNTING TROPHY."  SOME TIME LATER, THE SERB WAS 
FOUND IN A NEARBY FIELD WITH A BULLET IN HIS HEAD.  IN 
ANOTHER INSTANCE, AN UNARMED SERB WAS ESCORTED BEHIND A 
HOUSE BY HV TROOPS, AND LATER FOUND THERE WITH HIS HEAD 
SHATTERED BY A BULLET.  THE BODY REMAINS LEANING AGAINST 
A WOODPILE, ACCORDING TO THE EC MONITOR.  IN A THIRD CASE 
RECOUNTED AFTER THE BRIEFING TO AN EMBOFF BY A CANADIAN 
UN OFFICER, AN ELDERLY SERB MAN CAME TO THE UN COMPOUND 
IN KNIN AT NIGHT SEEKING PROTECTION FOR HIMSELF AND HIS 
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PAGE 04        ZAGREB  03309  02 OF 03  301521Z 
WIFE.  WHEN UN OFFICERS WENT AT DAWN WITH THE MAN TO HIS 
HOME, THE WIFE'S BODY WAS FOUND IN THE COUPLE'S WELL. 
 
7.  FLYNN ALSO DISCUSSED EARLY UN REPORTS OF A POSSIBLE 
"MASS GRAVE" AT KNIN CEMETERY.  ALTHOUGH THOSE INITIAL 
REPORTS ARE NOW OPEN TO QUESTION, FLYNN OPINED THAT THE 
PLACEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL GRAVE MARKERS ON THE SUSPECT SITE 
MAY BE ONLY "COSMETIC COVER."  FLYNN INDICATED THAT HUMAN 
RIGHTS CASES ARE BEING DOCUMENTED AND WILL BE REVIEWED BY 
THE INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL AT THE HAGUE. 
 
8.  DISPLACED PERSONS:  ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF 
DISPLACED SERBS HAVE NOW DEPARTED KRAJINA, 760 SERB 
DISPLACED PERSONS ARE STILL TAKING REFUGEE IN THE UN 
COMPOUND IN KNIN.  THE UN IS STILL ENGAGED IN DIFFICULT 
NEGOTIATIONS WITH CROATIAN AUTHORITIES CONCERNING THEIR 
DEPARTURE.  SENATORS WARNER AND KERREY MET BRIEFLY WITH A 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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PAGE 01        ZAGREB  03309  03 OF 03  301521Z 
ACTION H-06 
 
INFO  LOG-00   OASY-00  DS-00    EUR-01   TEDE-00  IO-02    ADS-00 
      OIC-02   SS-00    DSCC-00    /011W 
                  ------------------E80228  301521Z /38 
R 301503Z AUG 95 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7080 
INFO AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
DIA WASHDC 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-5PMA/J21// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
NSC WASHDC 
NATO EU COLLECTIVE 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
COMSIXTHFLT //N2// 
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN// 
JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK 
USNMR SHAPE BE//POLAD// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD// 
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD// 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USMISSION GENEVA 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
USLO SKOPJE 
                   LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 

 
 
 
 
 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  03309  03 OF 03  301521Z 
 
 
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 03 OF 03 ZAGREB 003309 
 
 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, SHUM, PREF, MOPS, HR, YU, BK 
SUBJECT:  CODEL KERREY/WARNER PART TWO:  VISIT TO KNIN 
 
REPRESENTATIVE OF THESE DPS, WHO ASKED THAT THE SENATORS 
AND USG TRY TO ASSIST IN EFFECTING THEIR SAFE PASSAGE TO 
SERBIA. 
--------------------------- 
MEETING WITH GENERAL CERMAK 
--------------------------- 
 
9.  SENATORS WARNER AND KERREY MET BRIEFLY WITH GENERAL 
CERMAK, THE CROATIAN MILITARY GOVERNOR OF KNIN, WHO 
SEEMED SOMEWHAT DISTRACTED BY THE APPROACHING VISIT OF 
PRESIDENT TUDJMAN.   CERMAK INDICATED THAT THE CROATIAN 
GOVERNMENT INTENDED TO TURN GOVERNING AUTHORITY OVER TO A 
CIVILIAN IN APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 4 WEEKS, LIKELY SOMEONE 
ORIGINALLY FROM THE REGION OF KNIN, AND THAT MUNICIPAL 
AND POLICE DUTIES WERE BEING HANDED OVER AS QUICKLY AS 
POSSIBLE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES.  (COMMENT: UN OFFICIALS 
COMPLAINED OF A LARGE CONTINUING HV PRESENCE IN KNIN, 
ALTHOUGH MOST TROOPS AND ARMOR OBSERVED BY EMBOFFS 
BELONGED TO HEAVILY-ARMED INTERIOR MINISTRY POLICE UNITS. 
END COMMENT.) 
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10.  CERMAK ALSO REPEATED CROATIAN PUBLIC STATEMENTS THAT 
SERBS WILLING TO LIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH CROATIAN LAWS 
WOULD BE WELCOME AND PROVIDED THE FULL RANGE OF RIGHTS 
AND SOCIAL SERVICES AVAILABLE TO CITIZENS. 
 
11.  SENATOR KERREY ASKED WHY SERBS STILL IN THE UN 
COMPOUND HAD NOT BEEN ALLOWED YET TO LEAVE.  CERMAK 
REPLIED THAT CROATIAN MILITARY AND JUDICIAL AUTHORITIES 
WISHED TO QUESTION 62 MEN IN THE GROUP FOR POSSIBLE WAR 
CRIMES.  HE INSISTED THAT CROATIA HAD DOSSIERS ON THE 
INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. 
OTHERS WERE FREE TO DEPART, BUT SOME WERE RELATIVES OF 
THE 62 MEN AND WERE UNWILLING TO DEPART WITHOUT THEM. 
 
GALBRAITH 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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