CGYOOL: CROATIAN AND BOSNIAN PRESIDENTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 02243 SIPDIS GENEVA FOR ICFY JACKOVITCH; USVIENNA FOR USDEL CSCE E.O. 12356: DECL: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS HR BK PGOV PREL MOPS HR BK SUBJECT: CGYOOL: CROATIAN AND BOSNIAN PRESIDENTS - MEET TO IRON OUT DIFFERENCES OVER B-H REF: (A) ZAGREB 2226 (NOTAL) - (B) ZAGREB 2224 - (C) ZAGREB 2223 (NOTAL) ¶1. FOLLOWING A PUBLIC EXCHANGE OF RECRIMINATORY LETTERS BY PRESIDENTS IZETBEGOVIC AND TUDJMAN (REFS A AND B),THE TWO LEADERS MET IN ZAGREB ON SUNDAY, NOV 1, TO ATTEMPT TO IRON OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES. TELEVISION COVERAGE OF THE START OF THE MEETING SHOWED B-H HDZ LEADER MATE BOBAN NEXT TO IZETBEGOVIC UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 02243 01 OF 02 021553Z ON THE BOSNIAN SIDE OF THE TABLE, ALONG WITH B-H PRESIDENCY ADVISOR HAJRUDIN SOMUN AND SEFKO OMERBASIC, PRESIDENT OF "MESIHATA FOR CROATIA AND SLOVENIA". THE CROATIAN SIDE INCLUDED DEFMIN SUSAK, TUDJMAN CHEF D'CABINET JURE RADIC, AND GEN. SLOBODAN PRALJAK. AFTER LENGTHY MEETINGS EXTENDING INTO SUNDAY EVENING, THE TWO SIDES HAD REACHED AGREEMENT ON SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT POINTS, WHICH WERE MADE PUBLIC NOV 2. ¶2. IZETBEGOVIC AND TUDJMAN CALLED FOR AN IMMEDIATE END TO THE FIGHTING BETWEEN B-H AND HVO FORCES "BECAUSE IT HARMS THE COMMON STRUGGLE AGAINST SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN EXTREMIST FORCES." THOSE GUILTY OF INSTIGATING THE B-H/CROAT CONFLICT WERE TO BE REMOVED AND PUNISHED. A JOINT COMMISSION IS TO BE FORMED TO INVESTIGATE THE FACTS SURROUNDING THE CONFLICT. THE TWO LEADERS AGAIN CALLED FOR THE FORMATION OF A JOINT COMMAND FOR B-H AND HVO FORCES. THEY ANNOUNCED THAT WORK WOULD BEGIN IMMEDIATELY IN THE JOINT COMMISSION ON INTER-STATE AND MILITARY COOPERATION, TO WHICH BOTH SIDES HAVE NOW NAMED THEIR REPRESENTATIVES. IZETBEGOVIC PROMISED TO NOMINATE A B-H AMBASSADOR TO CROATIA NEXT WEEK AND STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF ESTABLISHING EMBASSIES TO HELP RESOLVE PROBLEMS. ¶3. THE PRESIDENTS CONDEMNED STEPS TAKEN BY THE SO-CALLED "REPUBLIC OF KRAJINA" IN CROATIA AND THE SO-CALLED "SERBIAN REPUBLIC" IN B-H TO FORM A POLITICAL UNION. THEY TERMED IT A NEW ACT OF AGGRESSION AGAINST TWO SOVEREIGN AND INTERNATIONALLY UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ZAGREB 02243 01 OF 02 021553Z RECOGNIZED STATES (B-H AND CROATIA) AND CONDEMNED IT AS A DIRECT CRIMINAL ACT AGAINST PEACE WHICH VIOLATES THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER AND THE PRINCIPLE OF THE SANCTITY OF BORDERS. THEY WELCOMED THE UN DECISION UNCLASSIFIED NNNN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 01 ZAGREB 02243 02 OF 02 021553Z ACTION EUR-01 INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CA-02 CIAE-00 PFIP-01 C-01 DODE-00 CISA-02 DS-00 HA-09 H-01 INRE-00 INR-01 IO-19 L-03 ADS-00 MFLO-03 M-01 NSAE-00 OCS-06 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-02 PC-05 PM-02 PRS-01 P-01 RP-10 SCT-03 SDEL-00 SNP-00 SP-00 SR-00 SSO-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-01 ASDS-01 FMP-00 /081W -------------- 75817E 021555Z /38 O 021553Z NOV 92 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2569 INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY AMEMBASSY ANKARA AMEMBASSY ATHENS AMEMBASSY BONN AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST USMISSION GENEVA AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY MADRID AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY ROME AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE AMEMBASSY VIENNA USMISSION USNATO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK USMISSION USVIENNA UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 02243 02 OF 02 021553Z USIA WASHDC 2335 COMSIXTHFLT//N2// CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GM//ECJ3/ECJ5// CTF SIXZERO//N2// CTF SIXONE//N2// CTF SIXTWO//N2// CTF SIXSEVEN//JOCC// FOSIF ROTA SP USEC BRUSSELS WHITE HOUSE WASHDC 1012 UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 02243 SIPDIS GENEVA FOR ICFY JACKOVITCH; USVIENNA FOR USDEL CSCE E.O. 12356: DECL: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS HR BK PGOV PREL MOPS HR BK SUBJECT: CGYOOL: CROATIAN AND BOSNIAN PRESIDENTS - MEET TO IRON OUT DIFFERENCES OVER B-H ON FORMATION OF A WAR CRIMES COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. ¶4. THE TWO PRESIDENTS SUPPORTED, IN PRINCIPLE, THE DRAFT B-H CONSTITUTION UNVEILED LAST WEEK AT THE GENEVA CONFERENCE. THEY INSISTED THAT THE FINAL TEXT SHOULD ENSURE THE LEGITIMATE INTERESTS AND EQUALITY OF THE MUSLIM AND CROATIAN PEOPLES IN B-H. FINALLY, THEY PLEDGED TO MAKE A MAXIMUM EFFORT TO INCLUDE LEGITIMATE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SERBIAN PEOPLE IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS OF FORMING A FUTURE B-H. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 02243 02 OF 02 021553Z ¶5. IZETBEGOVIC TOLD TUDJMAN THE B-H GOVERNMENT WAS TO BE RESHUFFLED AND THAT THE PRIME MINISTER'S POSITION WOULD BE RESERVED FOR A BOSNIAN CROAT FROM THE CROATIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION (HDZ). BOBAN FORMALLY NOMINATED MIRO LASIC AS THE HDZ REPRESENTATIVE IN THE B-H COLLECTIVE PRESIDENCY. - -------------- -------------- POSTSCRIPT: CROATIAN POSITION ON B-H TERR'L INTEGRITY -------------- -------------- ¶6. FOLLOWING OCT 30 CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT TUDJMAN REPORTED REF C, TUDJMAN MET WITH VANCE AND OWEN, AFTER WHICH HE DECLARED, ONCE AGAIN, THAT "WE RECOGNIZED BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA AS A SOVEREIGN STATE. THE PROBLEM OF CONFLICT THERE MUST BE RESOLVED PEACEFULLY BY MUSLIMS AND CROATS THEMSELVES." HE ADDED THAT "THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA IS VITALLY INTERESTED THAT PEACE IS ESTABLISHED IMMEDIATELY IN THIS NEIGHBORING STATE." NEITZKE UNCLASSIFIED NNNN