ZAGREB UPDATE, NOVEMBER 26, 1991

CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01661



SIPDIS



USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0375

COMSIXTHFLT//N2//

CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON//N24//

CTF SIXTWO

CTF SIXONE

USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ5//



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01661



SIPDIS





E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, MARR, PHUM, PREL, PINS, MARR, PHUM, War Crimes

SUBJECT: ZAGREB UPDATE, NOVEMBER 26, 1991

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1. SUMMARY: ACCORDING TO CROATIAN PRESS

REPORTS AND THE EC MONITORING MISSION IN ZAGREB,

THE UNBLOCKING OF JNA INSTALLATIONS AROUND

ZAGREB IS PROCEEDING, BUT THERE ARE PROBLEMS

THAT COULD SPIKE THE EVACUATION AT ANY TIME.



THE EC MONITORS CONTINUE TO SEEK JNA PERMISSION

TO VISIT VUKOVAR HOSPITAL DIRECTOR BOSANAC,

WHOSE ARREST THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT HAS

PROTESTED. THE EC MONITORS HAVE PROVIDED US IN

CONFIDENCE LENGTHY REPORTS OF VIOLATIONS OF THE

SECOND PROTOCOL TO THE GENEVA CONVENTION BY THE

JNA. END SUMMARY



2. EC MONITORS' SPOKESMAN RENILDE STEEGHS TOLD

US THAT FOUR CONVOYS WERE SCHEDULED TO DEPART

TODAY FROM FOUR DIFFERENT INSTALLATIONS,

INCLUDING ONE FROM THE MARSHALL TITO BARRACKS IN

ZAGREB. STEEGHS NOTED THAT THE JNA WAS NOT

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ABIDING BY ITS AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE THE EC

MONITORS WITH 48 HOURS NOTICE OF WHICH CONVOYS

IT INTENDED TO ORGANIZE, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR

THE MISSION TO PLACE ITS MONITORING TEAMS.

ALTHOUGH THE MONITORS CONSIDERED THIS A

VIOLATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON UNBLOCKING, THEY

HAVE DECIDED FOR NOW, ABSENT CROATIAN PROTEST,

NOT TO PROTEST THE ISSUE TO THE JNA.

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3. STEEGHS, WHOSE COMMENTS GENERALLY TRACK

CLOSELY WITH THE VIEWS OF EC CHIEF OF MISSION

VAN HOUTEN NOTED THAT SOME JNA ACTIONS SEEMED

NEEDLESSLY PROVOCATIVE; FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAD

SENT, WITHOUT NOTICE, A CONVOY OF CROATIAN

VEHICLES WHICH HAD BEEN CAPTURED IN SLUNJ AND

HASTILY REPAINTED TO AN INSTALLATION IN ZAGREB

FOR THE EVACUATION. THE CROATIANS HAD SEARCHED

THE VEHICLES AND FOUND WEAPONS, SLOWING DOWN THE

EVACUATION PROCESS. THE JNA WAS ALSO INSISTING

ON FLYING LARGE YUGOSLAV FLAGS ON CONVOY

VEHICLES AS THEY DROVE THROUGH CROATIA.

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4. AT MIDDAY TODAY STEEGHS REPORTED THAT

PROBLEMS HAD DEVELOPED IN KARLOVAC, THROUGH

WHICH THE CONVEYS ARE PASSING. MINES PREVIOUSLY

PLACED BY THE CROATS HAD STOPPED THE CONVOYS.

THE CROATS WERE SAYING THEY LACKED THE NECESSARY

EXPERTISE TO REMOVE THE MINES AND THAT THEY WERE

BEING FIRED UPON BY JNA SNIPERS WHEN THEY

TRIED. (STEEGHS SAID THE CROATIAN CLAIM OF LACK

OF KNOWLEDGE RINGS TRUE; IN PULA, WHICH HAS

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ALREADY BEEN EVACUATED, THE CROATS HAVE BEEN

UNABLE TO REMOVE THEIR OWN MINES--FOUR SOLDIERS

DIED TRYING--AND FINALLY HAVE ASKED THE JNA FOR





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PAGE 01 ZAGREB 01661 02 OF 02 261449Z

ACTION EUR-01



INFO LOG-00 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 DODE-00 HA-09 H-01 INRE-00

INR-01 IO-19 L-03 ADS-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02

OMB-01 PA-01 PM-01 PRS-01 P-01 SNP-01 SP-01

SSO-00 SS-01 TRSE-00 T-01 /046W

-------------- B07A16 261456Z /45

O 261432Z NOV 91

FM AMCONSUL ZAGREB

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0019

INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE IMMEDIATE

USIA WASHDC 0893

AMEMBASSY ANKARA

AMEMBASSY ATHENS

AMEMBASSY BONN

AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS

AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST

AMEMBASSY LISBON

AMEMBASSY LONDON

AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG

AMEMBASSY MADRID

AMCONSUL MILAN

AMEMBASSY MOSCOW

AMCONSUL MUNICH

AMEMBASSY PARIS

AMEMBASSY ROME

AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE

AMEMBASSY VIENNA

USMISSION USNATO 1165

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PAGE 02 ZAGREB 01661 02 OF 02 261449Z

USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0376

COMSIXTHFLT//N2//

CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON//N24//

CTF SIXTWO

CTF SIXONE

USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ5//



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 01661



SIPDIS





E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, MARR, PHUM, YO

SUBJECT: ZAGREB UPDATE, NOVEMBER 26, 1991

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ASSISTANCE.) STEEGHS SAID AN URGENT MEETING HAD

BEEN CONVENED AT EC MONITORS HEADQUARTERS TO

DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM.

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VUKOVAR DOCTOR STILL IN JNA CUSTODY

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5. ON THE FATE OF HOSPITAL DIRECTOR VESNA

BOSANAC FROM VUKOVAR, STEEGHS SAID THE JNA HAS

TURNED DOWN SEVERAL EC MONITORS' REQUESTS TO

MEET WITH HER. IN AN INDIGNANT EXCHANGE AT EC

MONITORS' OFFICES, JNA GENERAL RASETA REPORTEDLY

INSISTED THAT BOSANAC WAS "IN GOOD HEALTH" BUT

THAT SHE WAS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR "WAR

CRIMES." STEEGHS SAID AN EC DECISION ON WHAT

FURTHER STEPS TO TAKE WOULD BE MADE AFTER

LEARNING WHETHER OR NOT ANOTHER EC REQUEST TO

SEE DR. BOSANAC WOULD BE GRANTED.

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EC REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

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6. THE EC MONITORS' GROUP PROVIDED US THIS

AFTERNOON WITH COPIES OF THEIR LENGTHY

CONFIDENTIAL REPORTS ON ALLEGATIONS OF



SIPDIS

VIOLATIONS OF HUMANITARIAN LAW IN THE ZADAR

AREA, IN SLAVONSKA POZEGA (IN RESPONSE TO JNA

CHARGES THAT SERBIAN VILLAGES WERE BEING

FORCIBLY EVACUATED BY THE CROATS),AND

ELSEWHERE, AND ON EC MONITORS' VISITS TO

VUKOVAR. THE REPORTS INCLUDE A CONCLUSION OF

SERIOUS JNA VIOLATIONS IN SOME AREAS OF THE

SECOND PROTOCOL OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION. WE

ARE POUCHING FULL COPIES TO EMBASSY BELGRADE.

STEPHENS







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