US embassy cable - 03ZAGREB1393

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001393 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, HR, Regional Issues 
SUBJECT:  CROATIAN OFFICIALS CONDEMN THE RIOT IN BELGRADE 
 
REF: BELGRADE 1420 
 
1.  FOLLOWING THE JUNE 15 ATTACK ON THE CROATIAN EMBASSY IN 
BELGRADE BY A LARGE GROUP OF SPORTS HOOLIGANS (REFTEL) -- 
WHICH CAME AFTER SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO DEFEATED CROATIA IN 
THE WATER-POLO FINALS OF THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 
KRANJ, SLOVENIA -- CROATIA'S POLITICAL LEADERSHIP PUT OUT 
STRONG STATEMENTS OF CONDEMNATION.  PRIME MINISTER RACAN 
REGRETTED THAT THE VANDALISM IN BELGRADE HAD NOT 
IMMEDIATELY BEEN CONDEMNED AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS IN 
    BELGRADE.  "WE ALL KNOW HOW THE LACK OF PROMPT REACTION TO 
THIS TYPE OF PRIMITIVISM LED TO THE EVIL THAT OCCURRED IN 
OUR RECENT PAST," RACAN SAID IN A TELEVISED STATEMENT.  THE 
PM ALSO CRITICIZED CROATIAN HOOLIGANS AT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS 
WHO ATTACKED SUPPORTERS OF THE SAM TEAM.  HE ANNOUNCED THAT 
HE WOULD PUSH FOR A LAW ON SPORTS FANS TO BE PREPARED ON AN 
URGENT BASIS. 
 
2.  FOR HIS PART, FOREIGN MINISTER TONINO PICULA CANCELED 
HIS TRIP TO MONTENEGRO SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 16 AND 17. 
PICULA CALLED THE INCIDENTS THE WORST SINCE THE TWO 
COUNTRIES ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN 1997, BUT HE 
ALSO EXPRESSED HOPE THAT THE TENSIONS WOULD SUBSIDE SOON. 
THE SAM AMBASSADOR TO ZAGREB, MILAN SIMURDIC, WHO WAS ON 
HAND FOR THE FINALS IN SLOVENIA, TOLD US JUNE 17 HE HOPED 
THE MATTER WAS OVER.  HE HAD BEEN CALLED IN TO THE MFA AT 
12:30 AM AFTER THE ATTACK ON THE EMBASSY BUILDING IN 
BELGRADE.  HE SAID HE REGRETTED THAT PICULA FELT A NEED TO 
CANCEL HIS TRIP TO PODGORICA.  IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER 
HAD HE TRAVELED, AND EVEN PERHAPS STOPPED OVER IN BELGRADE 
ON HIS WAY BACK. 
 
3.  DEPLORING THE INCIDENT IN BELGRADE, AS WELL AS THE ONE 
IN SLOVENIA WHICH PROMPTED IT, PRESIDENT MESIC SAID THAT 
BLAME CAN USUALLY BE SHARED.  "ONE EVENT CAUSES THE OTHER." 
HE ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT "ORGANIZERS ARE ALSO TO BLAME SINCE 
THEY KNEW THIS WAS A HIGH-RISK GAME BUT FAILED TO TAKE 
APPROPRIATE (SECURITY) MEASURES." 
 
COMMENT 
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4.  THE LATEST INCIDENTS, INVOLVING SPORTS HOOLIGANS ON 
BOTH THE SERBIAN AND CROATIAN SIDES, ARE NOT LIKELY TO 
AFFECT SERIOUSLY THE TREND IN THE OVERALL BILATERAL 
RELATIONSHIP.  RELATIONS BETWEEN AUTHORITIES IN ZAGREB AND 
BELGRADE ARE GENERALLY PROGRESSING -- TO WIT, THE RECENT 
DECISION BY EACH GOVERNMENT TO DO AWAY WITH, AT LEAST 
TEMPORARILY, VISA REQUIREMENTS.  THE INCIDENTS, HOWEVER, DO 
SHOW THAT UNDER THE POLITICAL SURFACE WARTIME ANIMOSITIES 
REMAIN, AND WILL HAVE TO BE MANAGED AS THE PROCESS OF 
NORMALIZATION UNFOLDS. 
MOON 
 
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