Wikileaks - IV

"628","1/12/1994 19:21","94ZAGREB157","Embassy Zagreb","CONFIDENTIAL","94ZAGREB73","This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY LONDON
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
USMISSION GENEVA
","C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000157

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/EE AND HA
VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA
LJUBLJANA PLEASE PASS TO AMB. ALBRIGHT\'S PARTY

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, HR, PHUM, HR, SR, War Crimes
SUBJECT: TFSROL: AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH MEETS WITH
\"KRAJINA PRESIDENT\" GORAN HADZIC

REF: ZAGREB 0073

1. ON JANUARY 6, DURING THE VISIT OF UN AMBASSADOR ALBRIGHT TO SECTOR EAST REPORTED REFTEL, AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH MET FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES WITH GORAN HADZIC, THE LAME DUCK \"PRESIDENT\" OF THE \"REPUBLIC OF THE SERBIAN KRAJINA\" (RSK) AND MILAN ILIC, THE HEAD OF THE LOCAL \"REGIONAL COUNCIL.\" REGIONAL COUNCILS ARE SAID TO BE THE LOCAL LEGISLATIVE BODIES IN THE SERB-OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF CROATIA. THE MEETING TOOK PLACE IN A MUNICIPAL BUILDING AT THE BOROVO FACTORY OUTSIDE VUKOVAR. AMBASSADOR ALBRIGHT AND ASSISTANT SECRETARY SHATTUCK AND THEIR PARTY ALSO ATTENDED THE MEETING, BUT DID NOT PARTICIPATE. EMBASSY CON/POL OFFICER WAS NOTETAKER. THE MEETING WAS AGREED TO AFTER THE LOCAL SERBS THREATENED TO OBSTRUCT THE VISIT OF THE ALBRIGHT PARTY TO THE OVCARA GRAVE SITE UNLESS THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE GROUP. THE BRIEF MEETING FOLLOWED THE VISIT TO THE GRAVE SITE. (NOTE: OVCARA IS SAID TO BE THE SITE OF A MASS GRAVE WHERE THE BODIES OF UP TO THREE HUNDRED PEOPLE TAKEN BY THE SERBS FROM THE VUKOVAR HOSPITAL ARE BURIED. END NOTE.)

2. AFTER WELCOMING THE GROUP, HADZIC COMPLAINED THAT THE \"RSK\" WAS A \"SMALL AND POOR\" COUNTRY WHICH CANNOT GET THE TRUTH TO THE WORLD. THE SERBS ARE BLAMED FOR EVERYTHING, HE SAID, EVEN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD BRIDGE IN MOSTAR. IT IS NOT TRUE, HE ADDED, THAT EVERYTHING THE SERBS DO IS BAD AND EVERYTHING THE CROATS DO IS GOOD, \"JUST AS IT WOULD BE A LIE IF I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING THE SERBS DID WAS GOOD.\" HADZIC SAID THE SERBS HAD FOUGHT TO DEFEND THEIR HOMES AFTER THE WAR WAS STARTED BY CROATS WHO KILLED OR SET FIRE TO EVERYTHING WHICH BELONGED TO THE SERBS. HE CONCLUDED BY SEEKING THE GROUPS\' OBSERVATIONS HAVING JUST VISITED THE OVCARA GRAVE SITE.

3. AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH RESPONDED THAT, AS \"AMBASSADOR TO THIS COUNTRY,\" HE WANTED TO EXPRESS THE UNITED STATES\' COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS FOR \"ALL OF THE PEOPLES OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA.\" NOTING THAT THE OVCARA SITE HAD MADE A STRONG IMPRESSION ON ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, HE EXPRESSED THE DETERMINATION OF THE U.S. THAT THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR WAR CRIMES \"ON ALL SIDES\" WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. HE THEN DETAILED U.S. POLICY TOWARDS THE REGION, SPECIFICALLY NOTING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF CROATIA AND THE DEMAND THAT THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF ALL GROUPS, INCLUDING THE SERBIAN COMMUNITY, BE PROTECTED \"IN FACT AS WELL AS IN LAW.\"

4. HADZIC REPLIED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THE AMBASSADOR\'S \"SINCERE WISH FOR PEACE,\" BUT THAT IT WAS CLEAR \"YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF CERTAIN FACTS REGARDING THE HISTORY\" OF THE REGION. HE THEN CATALOGED THE SERBS\' HISTORICAL GRIEVANCES AND LAID BLAME FOR THE WAR ON THE CROATS. REGARDING WAR CRIMES, HADZIC COMPLAINED THAT WAR CRIMES IN VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, AND ARGENTINA HAD NEVER BEEN PUNISHED AND ASKED WHY ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON CRIMES IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA? HE ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT HE WAS WILLING TO SEE SERB CRIMINALS FACE THE TRIBUNAL AND EVEN UNDERSTOOD THAT SERBS MAY NEED TO BE THE FIRST TRIED, \"BUT NOT ONLY SERBS SHOULD BE TRIED.\"

5. MILAN ILIC, HEAD OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL THEN DELIVERED A SPEECH FULL OF BOMBAST, COMPLETE WITH QUOTATIONS FROM MARX (AND ELIHU ROOT), WHILE WAVING IN THE AIR BOOKS ALLEGEDLY PROVING CROATIAN GUILT FOR THE WAR. HE STATED FIRMLY THAT SERBS WOULD NEVER ACCEPT BEING PART OF CROATIA AGAIN BECAUSE \"THAT WOULD MEAN THE END OF SERBS\' EXISTENCE.\"

6. ASKED ABOUT THE RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS TO THEIR HOMES IN THE KRAJINA, HADZIC SAID THAT THOSE NOT GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES (ADDING \"WHILE MOST CROATS ARE, A FEW ARE NOT\") CAN RETURN AS SOON AS THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE KRAJINA\'S SOVEREIGNTY AND BECOME \"RSK\" CITIZENS. HADZIC QUIPPED THAT U.S. AND RSK POLICIES WERE NEARLY IDENTICAL, SINCE THE KRAJINA ALSO SUPPORTS CROATIA\'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY \"WITHIN ITS CURRENT BOUNDARIES.\"

7. CONCLUDING THE MEETING, AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH SAID THAT HE FELT IT COULD MARK THE BEGINNING OF A DIALOGUE WITH THE SERBIAN COMMUNITY IN THE KRAJINA.

8. NOTE: ON JANUARY 11, THE EMBASSY ASKED UNPROFOR TO ARRANGE A VISIT TO SECTOR EAST FOR A CONGRESSIONAL STAFF DELEGATION. WHEN UNPROFOR WENT TO THE \"KRAJINA REGIONAL COUNCIL\" TO \"INFORM THEM OF THE VISIT\" -- I.E., ASK THEIR PERMISSION -- THE SERB\'S ANSWERED WITH A FLAT NO. UNPROFOR ARGUED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO ANXIETY AMONG LOCAL LEADERS IN THE BUILD-UP TO THE FINAL ROUND OF KRAJINA ELECTIONS. BUT THEY ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE SERBS WERE NOT PLEASED THAT THEIR MEETING WITH AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH HAD FAILED TO CONFER ON THEM ANY INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY OR ANY PERCEPTIBLE IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR IMAGE. END NOTE.
GALBRAITH