Wikileaks - VI

"632","2/2/1994 16:20","94ZAGREB467","Embassy Zagreb","CONFIDENTIAL","","This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.","CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 00467

SIPDIS

AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J2I//
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
USMISSION GENEVA
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000467

SIPDIS

VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, HR, PHUM, HR, BK, War Crimes
SUBJECT: TFSROL: THE MEDIA WAR: CROAT-MUSLIM
NAME-CALLING

1. (U) THIS EMBASSY CONTINUES TO NOTE THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL MEDIA IN HEIGHTENING ETHNIC TENSIONS. GOVERNMENT OWNED AND CONTROLLED CROATIAN TV (HTV) ON SATURDAY, JAN. 29, BROADCAST TWO UNSCHEDULED DOCUMENTARIES BACK-TO-BACK IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENING NEWS. THE FIRST WAS A TWENTY MINUTE FILM CALLED \"THE ROAD TO CENTRAL BOSNIA\" AND THE SECOND WAS A LONGER FEATURE CALLED \"THE CHRONOLOGY OF MUSLIM WAR CRIMES AGAINST CROATS IN B-H.\" THE EVENING MOVIE WAS DELAYED AN HOUR IN ORDER TO AIR THESE DOCUMENTARIES. THE TV SPECIALS WERE NOT ON THE DAILY TV SCHEDULE BUT HAD BEEN WELL ADVERTISED DURING THE DAY ON HTV. AS THE TITLES INDICATE, THEY FOCUSED ON MUSLIM MISDEEDS IN CENTRAL B-H. BOTH DOCUMENTARIES APPEARED HASTILY PUT TOGETHER, AND WERE POORLY PRODUCED. NEITHER WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A NARRATED SCRIPT AND BOTH CONSISTED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY OF AMATEUR FOOTAGE AND TAPED INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL BOSNIAN CROATS DESCRIBING MUSLIM ATROCITIES. THERE WAS LITTLE DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED AS TO THE TIME AND PLACE OF THE EVENTS DESCRIBED.

2. (U) \"THE ROAD TO CENTRAL BOSNIA\" INCLUDED INTERVIEWS WITH CROAT RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL BOSNIA (ALL EXPRESSING FEAR OF MUSLIM FORCES) AND CROAT SOLDIERS. THE OVERALL MESSAGE WAS \"THE ENEMY IS COMING AND WE ARE PREPARED.\" \"THE CHRONOLOGY OF WAR CRIMES\" WAS MORE POWERFUL WITH GRAPHIC PICTURES OF CORPSES AND WEEPING SURVIVORS, MOSTLY WOMEN. IN ALL CASES, MUSLIMS WERE NAMED AS THE PERPETRATORS OF THE MASSACRES. MOST OF THE FOOTAGE CLEARLY DATED FROM THE FALL OR BEFORE. -

3. (C) ONE EMBARRASSED PROFESSIONAL TV JOURNALIST COMPLAINED TO OUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER THAT THIS LINE OF TV PROGRAMMING WAS DIRECTED BY THE HEAD OF HTV, ANTON VRDOLJAK. VRDOLJAK IS A HIGHLY UNPOPULAR, BUT INFLUENTIAL, MEMBER OF THE RULING PARTY AND THE CROATIAN PARLIAMENT. ACCORDING TO THE JOURNALIST, THE PROGRAMMING CHIEF AT HTV WAS AFRAID OF VRDOLJAK AND WOULD NEVER RESIST WHAT THE \"BIG MAN\" DIRECTED.

4. (U) THESE TV BROADCASTS CONTRAST TO THOSE IN THE AUTUMN WHICH DEPICTED GRAPHICALLY (USING CNN FOOTAGE) STARVING MUSLIMS IN THE HVO-RUN DETENTION CAMPS AND THE HVO\'S DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD BRIDGE IN MOSTAR. HTV HAS ALSO AIRED SHOWS WITH SURPRISINGLY CANDID CRITICISM FROM OPPOSITION LEADERS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT\'S B-H POLICY. THUS, THESE CRUDE PROPAGANDIST EFFORTS REPRESENT A BACKWARD STEP FOR HTV, AS WELL AS A SIGN OF A DEGENERATING POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT.

5. (C) ANXIETY AMONG MUSLIM RESIDENTS OF ZAGREB WAS EXPRESSED BY THE WIFE OF A LEADING MUSLIM HUMANITARIAN AID WORKER WHO IS ALSO A PROFESSIONAL. SHE DECLINED AN INVITATION FOR A PRESTIGIOUS USIA VISITORS\' PROGRAM BECAUSE OF FEAR THAT HER EMPLOYER WOULD FIRE HER IF SHE WAS ABSENT FROM HER JOB. OBVIOUSLY AGITATED AND FRUSTRATED SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN WARNED FOUR TIMES THAT HER PERFORMANCE WAS BEING CLOSELY MONITORED. SHE SAID THAT FINDING A NEW JOB AS A MUSLIM IN CROATIA WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE. WE HAVE ALSO HEARD REPORTS OF GRAFFITI SAYING \"MUSLIMS GET OUT\" BEING SCRAWLED IN ENGLISH ON THE DOORS OF MUSLIMS\' APARTMENTS.

6. (U) AT THE SAME TIME, THE B-H GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO BEGUN NAME-CALLING. IN THE PAST FEW DAYS, AS SEEN IN FBIS REPORTS, RADIO SARAJEVO HAS BEGUN REFERRING TO BOSNIAN CROATS AS \"USTASHA.\" OFFICIAL B-H GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE ALSO BEGUN USING THE TERM. THE DAILY \"REVIEW OF MAJOR EVENTS\" PREPARED BY THE B-H FOREIGN MINISTRY AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE BOSNIAN EMBASSY IN ZAGREB NOW REFERS TO CROAT FORCES AS USTASHA.

GALBRAITH