FOREIGN MINISTER REQUESTS US HELP ON GLAVAS CASE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000283 SIPDIS STATE PASS S/WCI E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV KAWC BH HR SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER REQUESTS US HELP ON GLAVAS CASE REF: ZAGREB 254 Classified By: Ambassador Robert Bradtke; Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) Following a May 20 meeting on other subjects, Foreign Minister Jandrokovic raised one-on-one with the Ambassador the case of Branimir Glavas (reftel),who was found guilty of war crimes and fled to Bosnia. Jandrokovic said that he had requested the assistance of EU in having Glavas extradited back to Croatia from Bosnia, and he wanted to make the same request of the United States. The international community, he said, had a strong interest in ensuring that Bosnia did not become a refuge for war criminals. The Croatian government wants Glavas back to face justice in Croatia, and would welcome any assistance the U.S. could provide. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador replied briefly that the U.S. attached great importance to seeing that those who committed war crimes were held accountable for their actions. While he did not know what might be possible in this case, he promised to bring the request to the attention of the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo and Washington and request a response to the Minister's request. ¶3. (C) Comment and Action Requested. Intial optimism in the State Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Justice that it would be possible revoke Glavas' recently acquired Bosnian citizenship on grounds that it was acquired under false pretenses has faded. While we cannot judge what political or legal avenues might be open to encourage the Bosnians to extradite Glavas, we believe that allowing him to reside with impunity in Bosnia is damaging not only for Croatia and Bosnia but for efforts throughout the region to hold criminals accountable. Please provide a response to the Foreign Minister's request and advise post on what assistance, if any, the USG can provide to assist with the return of Glavas to Croatia. BRADTKE