CROATIA/ICTY: DPM GRANIC SHOOTS GOC IN FOOT AS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000927 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KAWC PREL PGOV PHUM PREL PGOV PHUM HR KAWC UNSC ICTY SUBJECT: CROATIA/ICTY: DPM GRANIC SHOOTS GOC IN FOOT AS BOBETKO ISSUE REFUSES TO FADE REF: ZAGREB 867 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. SUMMARY: DEPUTY PM GRANIC'S RASH CRITICISM THIS WEEK OF THE ZAGREB DIPLOMATIC CORPS -- INCLUDING THE U.S. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 00927 01 OF 02 280635Z AMBASSADOR -- EMBARRASSED THE GOC AND OVERSHADOWED AN OTHERWISE SOLID ATTEMPT TO SENSITIZE THE CROATIAN PUBLIC TO IMPENDING NEW INDICTMENTS AFTER THE APRIL 16 VISIT OF ICTY PROSECUTOR CARLA DEL PONTE TO ZAGREB (REFTEL). REACTING TO PRESS REPORTS THAT ZAGREB DIPLOMATS AGREED WITH DEL PONTE THAT GOC COOPERATION WITH ICTY WAS HALF-HEARTED, GRANIC, INTER ALIA, CALLED ZAGREB-BASED DIPLOMATS "SUPERFICIALLY INFORMED." GRANIC'S REMARKS DREW UNIFORMLY STINGING CRITICISM FROM THE LOCAL MEDIA AS WE AND OTHER MISSIONS REFUSED TO COMMENT AND LEFT THE GOC TO STEW IN ITS OWN EMBARRASSMENT. PM RACAN, WHO COUNTS ON GRANIC TO SUPPORT THE COALITION AND TO MANAGE THE GOC, EVENTUALLY SAID THAT HIS DEPUTY'S VIEWS WERE "PERSONAL" AND DID NOT REFLECT THE GOC'S POSITION. MEANWHILE, ICTY INDICTEE GENERAL JANKO BOBETKO CHECKED HIMSELF OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, A POTENTIALLY DISTURBING TWIST TO A CASE THAT ONLY TWO WEEKS AGO, THE GOC AND THE OTP BOTH BELIEVED WAS CLOSED. END SUMMARY FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE -------------- ¶2. (U) IN AN APRIL 22 INTERVIEW TO THE NEWS DAILY "NOVI LIST," DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER GORAN GRANIC COMMENTED ON OTP CHIEF PROSECUTOR CARLA DEL PONTE'S APRIL 16 VISIT TO ZAGREB. GRANIC REMARKED THAT CROATIA WAS COOPERATING FULLY WITH THE ICTY AND COMMITTED THE GOC TO DELIVER TO THE HAGUE ANY NEW INDICTEES WITHOUT DELAY. (CROATIAN MEDIA SOURCES SPECULATE THAT DEL PONTE IS SET TO DELIVER UP TO FIVE NEW INDICTMENTS AGAINST FORMER CROATIAN OFFICIALS: ADMIRAL DAVOR DOMAZET, GENERALS IVAN KORADE AND MLADEN MARKAC, AND FORMER PRIME MINISTERS HRVOJE SARINIC AND FRANJO GREGURIC.) UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 00927 01 OF 02 280635Z ¶3. (SBU) THE INTERVIEW WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR GRANIC'S PETULANT REACTION TO THE INTERVIEWER'S REMARK THAT FOREIGN DIPLOMATS AGREED WITH DEL PONTE'S ASSESSMENT THAT CROATIA ONLY COOPERATED WITH THE ICTY RELUCTANTLY. GRANIC SAID SOME DIPLOMATS "PROVED NOT TO BE UP TO THE MARK," WERE SOMETIMES "RIDICULOUS IN THE WAY THEY MADE JUDGMENTS" AND MADE STATEMENTS THAT WERE "DOWNRIGHT TRAGIC." ASKED TO NAME THE DIPLOMATS, GRANIC LISTED: "MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY, THE U.S. AMBASSADOR, THE FORMER SPANISH AMBASSADOR, DUTCH OFFICIALS," AND "OTHER SUPERFICIALLY INFORMED DIPLOMATS, INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVES OF SOME INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN CROATIA." ¶4. (SBU) GRANIC'S INTERVIEW IGNITED A MEDIA FIRESTORM, EVEN AS WE, AND OTHER MISSIONS, BIT OUR TONGUES. A COLUMNIST FOR NOVI LIST EXCORIATED HIM FOR USING A "TONE THAT IS NOT TO BE USED EVEN WITH ONE'S OWN STAFF," ADDING THAT GRANIC HIMSELF HELPED FOSTER THE IMPRESSION THAT CROATIA COOPERATED UNWILLINGLY, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF GENERAL BOBETKO. ANOTHER COMMENTATOR FOR THE SAME PAPER SAID GRANIC'S STATEMENTS COULD HAVE BEEN EXPECTED IN IRAQ UNDER SADDAM OR IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER THE TALIBAN, BUT NOT IN A MODERN EUROPEAN COUNTRY THAT CROATIA ASPIRES TO BECOME. FOCUSING ON THE GOC'S EU ACCESSION DRIVE, ONE COMMENTATOR SAID, "WITH ONLY ONE MOVE, GRANIC MANAGED TO ANNUL THE ENTIRE POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE THAT WAS PICKING UP IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS." A FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR FOR THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED DAILY "VJESNIK" NOTED THAT GRANIC'S WORDS RECALLED THE ATTITUDE OF THE HDZ GOVERNMENT, WHICH VIEWED ZAGREB'S INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES AS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00927 01 OF 02 280635Z "ENEMIES OF CROATIAN STATEHOOD." ¶5. (SBU) GRANIC, HOWEVER, APPEARS TO HAVE AT LEAST SOME SYMPATHIZERS IN THE GOC. UNNAMED FOREIGN MINISTRY SOURCES TOLD "NOVI LIST" THAT GRANIC MIGHT HAVE BEEN UNDIPLOMATIC, BUT THAT HE HAD "AT LEAST TOLD THE TRUTH." "AMBASSADORS MAY SPEAK LIKE THAT IN SOME BANTU STATE, BUT NOT IN CROATIA, WHICH IS A PART OF EUROPE." WE'RE SORRY (WELL, SORT OF) -------------- ¶6. (SBU) AT A APRIL 24 PRESS CONFERENCE, PM RACAN SOUGHT TO LIMIT DAMAGE, SAYING THAT HE REGRETTED GRANIC'S REMARKS AND THAT THEY DID NOT REFLECT THE POLICY OF THE GOC. AT THE SAME TIME, HE SOUGHT TO INSULATE HIS DEPUTY -- AND RIGHT HAND MAN -- FROM FURTHER CRITICISM, SAYING THAT INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT HAD THE RIGHT TO AIR THEIR PERSONAL VIEWS, WHICH MIGHT NOT BE, AND OFTEN WERE NOT, THOSE OF THE GOVERNMENT. THERE WAS NO NEED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE ISSUE, RACAN MAINTAINED. BOBETKO CHECKS OUT: INITIAL GOC AND ICTY REACTIONS UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ6638 PAGE 01 ZAGREB 00927 02 OF 02 280635Z ACTION IO-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 PA-00 SP-00 TEST-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-01 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /004W -------------- 5BE944 280635Z /38 R 280625Z APR 03 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0037 EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000927 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KAWC PREL PGOV PHUM PREL PGOV PHUM HR KAWC UNSC ICTY SUBJECT:CROATIA/ICTY: DPM GRANIC SHOOTS GOC IN FOOT AS BOBETKO ISSUE REFUSES TO FADE -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) AS THE GOC WAS DEALING WITH GRANIC'S GAFFE, ON APRIL 24 ICTY INDICTEE GENERAL JANKO BOBETKO CHECKED HIMSELF OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AND RETURNED HOME, REPORTEDLY AGAINST HIS DOCTORS' ORDERS. RACAN COMMENTED THAT THIS WAS A MATTER FOR THE GENERAL, HIS FAMILY AND HIS DOCTORS TO DECIDE, AND NOT A SUBJECT FOR POLITICIANS. "WE CANNOT DENY THE GENERAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 00927 02 OF 02 280635Z THE RIGHT TO GO HOME," RACAN SAID. ¶8. (SBU) ICTY ZAGREB REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS OSORIO TOLD US APRIL 24 THAT THE IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE BEFORE THE GOC IS TO ENSURE THAT IT REPORTS THE DEVELOPMENTS IMMEDIATELY TO THE ICTY REGISTRAR. OSORIO COMMENTED THAT THE GOC WOULD HAVE TO KEEP THE REGISTRAR AND THE PRESIDING ICTY JUDGE WELL INFORMED OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BOBETKO CASE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE JUDGE MIGHT DECIDE THAT BOBETKO'S DECISION TO REFUSE HOSPITAL TREATMENT IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH A CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCE TO WARRANT REACTIVATING THE ARREST ORDER. MOON UNCLASSIFIED >