US embassy cable - 03ZAGREB991

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000991 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, HR, ICTY, War Crimes 
SUBJECT:  INDICTED FORMER CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF JANKO BOBETKO BURIED 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: INDICTED GENERAL JANKO BOBETKO WAS BURIED ON 
MAY 2.  WHILE OPPOSITION LEADERS ATTENDED THE FUNERAL, 
PRESIDENT MESIC DID NOT, AND PM RACAN AND SPEAKER TOMCIC 
ONLY PAID THEIR TRIBUTE AT A SEPARATE CEREMONY.  IN AN 
INFLAMMATORY SPEECH AT THE FUNERAL, RETIRED GENERAL IVAN 
BASARAC CRITICIZED BOBETKO'S INDICTMENT BY THE ICTY, SAYING 
THERE WAS NO FREEDOM IN CROATIA AS LONG AS INDICTED 
GENERALS ARE NOT FREE.  MOST MEDIA CRITICIZED BASARIC'S 
    TURNING THE FUNERAL INTO A POLITICAL RALLY.  SOME ARGUED 
THAT PART OF THE PUBLIC WOULD OBJECT TO THE GOVERNMENT'S 
LOW PROFILE AT BOBETKO'S FUNERAL, WHILE THE INTERNATIONAL 
COMMUNITY WOULD DISAPPROVE OF ITS TAKING ANY PART AT ALL. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
 
2.  RETIRED GENERAL JANKO BOBETKO, FORMER CROATIAN CHIEF OF 
THE GENERAL STAFF, WHO WAS ALSO INDICTED FOR WAR CRIMES BY 
THE ICTY, WAS BURIED ON MAY 2 IN HIS NATIVE TOWN OF SISAK. 
THE PRESS ESTIMATED THAT ANYWHERE BETWEEN 10 AND 20 
THOUSAND PEOPLE GATHERED AT HIS FUNERAL, MANY OF WHOM HAD 
ARRIVED FROM THE SOUTHERN COASTAL REGION OF DALMATIA. 
WHILE MOST OPPOSITION LEADERS, INCLUDING HDZ PRESIDENT IVO 
SANADER, ATTENDED THE FUNERAL, THE GOVERNMENT WAS 
REPRESENTED ONLY SYMBOLICALLY BY ONE MINISTER (SDP) AND ONE 
MP (HSS) WHO WERE THERE IN THEIR PARTY AND PRIVATE 
CAPACITIES.  PRESIDENT STIPE MESIC SENT HIS AIDE-DE-CAMP TO 
REPRESENT HIM AT BOBETKO'S FUNERAL AND EXCUSED HIMSELF, 
CITING PRIOR ENGAGEMENTS.  PRIME MINISTER IVICA RACAN AND 
PARLIAMENT SPEAKER ZLATKO TOMCIC ATTENDED A MEMORIAL 
SERVICE IN ZAGREB, BUT DID NOT GO TO SISAK FOR THE FUNERAL 
ITSELF. 
 
3.  AS EXPECTED, BOBETKO'S FUNERAL TURNED INTO A POLITICAL 
EVENT; IN A PARAPHRASE OF THE GENERAL'S MEMOIRS, A LOCAL 
COLUMNIST DESCRIBED THE FUNERAL AS BOBETKO'S "LAST, 
DECISIVE BATTLE WITH THE HAGUE TRIBUNAL."  RETIRED GENERAL 
BASARAC MADE AN INFLAMMATORY SPEECH IN WHICH HE SAID THERE 
WAS "NO FREEDOM IN CROATIA AS LONG AS GENERALS NORAC, 
GOTOVINA AND ADEMI ARE NOT FREE," DISMISSING THE INDICTMENT 
    AGAINST BOBETKO AS BASELESS.  WHILE BASARAC DREW A PARALLEL 
BETWEEN THE PROSECUTION OF BOBETKO AND THE "PERSECUTION OF 
CHRIST," ONE BANNER AT THE FUNERAL READ: "HOLY TRINITY: 
FRANJO, JANKO AND GOJKO," IN REFERENCE TO LATE PRESIDENT 
TUDJMAN, BOBETKO AND LATE MINISTER OF DEFENSE SUSAK. 
SIMILARLY, HDZ PRESIDENT IVO SANADER DESCRIBED BOBETKO AS A 
"LEGEND OF THE CROATIAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND 
INDEPENDENCE, WHOSE NOBLE DEED WAS WITHOUT A SINGLE STAIN." 
SHORTLY BEFORE HE DIED, BOBETKO SAID HE WANTED CONVICTED 
WAR CRIMINAL GENERAL MIRKO NORAC TO BE RELEASED FROM JAIL 
TO CARRY THE CROSS AT THE FUNERAL.  AUTHORITIES DEMURRED. 
 
4.  MOST MEDIA CRITICIZED THE POLITICIZATION OF BOBETKO'S 
FUNERAL, ESPECIALLY BASARAC'S SPEECH.  COMMENTATORS 
CRITICIZED THE FACT THAT THE FUNERAL WAS DESIGNED AND USED 
AS A FORUM FOR A POLITICAL SHOWDOWN WITH THE GOVERNMENT. 
SOME IN THE MEDIA NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT THE STATE LEADERSHIP 
WAS IN A NO-WIN SITUATION.  THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT AND 
THE PRIME MINISTER FAILED TO ATTEND THE FUNERAL WILL BE 
USED BY CROATIA'S NATIONALIST RIGHT-WING TO SKEWER THE 
RULING COALITION.  THE FACT THAT THEY PARTICIPATED AT ALL 
-- IN THIS CASE BY THE PRIME MINISTER DISPATCHING A MEMBER 
OF PARLIAMENT AND OF THE GOVERNMENT -- MAY DRAW CRITICISM 
FROM THE HAGUE AND OTHERS IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. 
 
ROSSIN 
 
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