INDICTED FORMER CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF JANKO BOBETKO BURIED

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000991 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM HR ICTY 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 NNNN