CGYOOL-ICRC REPORTS RELEASE OF 87 DETAINEES.

UNCLASSIFIED LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 02263 SIPDIS STATE FOR IO, D/EEA/JOHN MENZIES AND EUR/EE - STATE PASS TO AID FOR EUR/RME, FHA/FFP AND FHA/OFDA/DRD - USMISSION GENEVA FOR DON PRESSLEY AND USDEL ICFY - SECDEF ALSO FOR ISA/GLOBAL AFFFAIRS - E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PREF AORC EAID MASS PHUM HR AORC EAID MASS PHUM HR BK SUBJECT: CGYOOL-ICRC REPORTS RELEASE OF 87 DETAINEES. LACK OF SPACE PREVENTS FURTHER RELEASES ¶1. ICRC-ZAGREB REPORTS THE RELEASE, ON NOVEMBER 3, OF 87 PRISONERS FROM B-H CAMPS. SIXTY-ONE PRISONERS HELD BY SERBIAN FORCES IN KAMENICA (NEAR DRVAR) HAVE BEEN RELEASED AND TRANSFERED BY ICRC TO THE TRANSIT CENTER IN KARLOVAC (REPUBLIC OF CROATIA) RUN BY UNHCR. ANOTHER GROUP OF 25 SERBIAN PRISONERS, HELD BY MUSLIM FORCES IN BIHAC AND CAZIN, HAVE BEEN RELEASED AND TRANSFERED BY ICRC VIA CROATIA TO OSIJEK AND FROM THERE TO THE FRY. ONE FREED DETAINEE CHOSE TO STAY IN THE BIHAC AREA. ¶2. ICRC-ZAGREB ALSO REPORTS THAT THE PLANNED RELEASE OF OVER 3,000 PRISONERS AT THE MANJACA CAMP HAS BEEN INDEFINITELY POSTPONED, IN PART BECAUSE UNHCR HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIND PLACES FOR THE RELEASED DETAINEES LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ZAGREB 02263 01 OF 02 031550Z CURRENTLY IN KARLOVAC AND IN PART BECAUSE SERBIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE YET TO ORDER THEIR RELEASE (SEE PARA. 4). THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT HAS APPARENTLY REFUSED OR BEEN UNABLE TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL TRANSIT FACILITIES INSIDE CROATIA. (COMMENT: PROCESSING FOR THE 1,000 EX-DETAINEES AND THEIR FAMILIES WHOM THE U.S. HAS OFFERED TO TAKE IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED UNTIL LATE DECEMBER.) ¶3. THE TRANSIT FACILITY AT KARLOVAC IS PRESENTLY FULL. ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO HOUSE 2,000 DETAINEES, 500 PLACES HAVE BEEN LOST BECAUSE OF THE DANGER POSED BY A SEVERELY DAMAGED ORTHODOX CHURCH WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE FACILITY AND COULD COLLAPSE AT ANY MOMENT. ICRC HOPES THAT THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT WILL AT LEAST PERMIT UNHCR TO REPLACE THESE 500 PLACES WHICH HAVE BEEN LOST. ¶4. THE LACK OF INSTRUCTIONS FROM RADOVAN KARADZIC TO THE SERBIAN AUTHORITIES RUNNING THE MANJACA CAMP ARE REPORTEDLY ANOTHER ELEMENT COMPLICATING THE RELEASE OF THE PRISONERS. DURING A RECENT VISIT TO MANJACA, OFDA CONTRACTOR TOM BRENNAN RECEIVED THE IMPRESSION THAT THE SERBS RUNNING THE CAMP WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO BE RID OF THE PRISONERS IF THEY WERE ONLY TO RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS TO DO SO. ICRC-ZAGREB OFFICIALS CONFIRMED THESE IMPRESSIONS, ADDING THAT UNSC RESOLUTION 780 CREATING A WAR CRIMES COMMISSION APPEARS TO HAVE HAD A VISIBLE IMPACT ON THE ATTITUDES OF THE CAMP AUTHORITIES. ¶5. REFERING TO THE SITUATION IN JAJCE, OUR LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 04 ZAGREB 02263 01 OF 02 031550Z INTERLOCUTORS, WHILE DISCLAIMING ANY DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OF SERBIAN INTENTIONS, SAID THEY WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SIMILAR SITUATIONS DEVELOPING IN THE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNN LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 01 ZAGREB 02263 02 OF 02 031551Z ACTION IO-19 INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CA-02 CIAE-00 EUR-01 FDRE-00 HA-09 HHS-04 INRE-00 INR-01 L-03 ADS-00 NSAE-00 OCS-06 OIC-02 PM-02 P-01 RP-10 SP-00 SR-00 SS-00 VO-06 /068W -------------- 7604B9 031553Z /38 O 031552Z NOV 92 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2588 INFO USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE USEC BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GM//ECJ3/ECJ5/ECPLAD// IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY BELGRADE IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY BONN AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST AMEMBASSY VIENNA USMISSION USNATO CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// CTF SIXZERO//NR// CTF SIXONE//N2// CTF SIXTWO//N2// CTF SIXSEVEN//JOCC// FOSIF ROTA SP SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// CJCS WASHDC LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 ZAGREB 02263 02 OF 02 031551Z LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 02263 STATE FOR IO, D/EEA/JOHN MENZIES AND EUR/EE - STATE PASS TO AID FOR EUR/RME, FHA/FFP AND FHA/OFDA/DRD - USMISSION GENEVA FOR DON PRESSLEY AND USDEL ICFY - SECDEF ALSO FOR ISA/GLOBAL AFFFAIRS - E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PREF AORC EAID MASS PHUM HR AORC EAID MASS PHUM HR BK SUBJECT: CGYOOL-ICRC REPORTS RELEASE OF 87 DETAINEES. LACK OF SPACE PREVENTS FURTHER RELEASES NEAR FUTURE IN OTHER LOCALITIES IN NORTHERN BOSNIA. IN PARTICULAR, THEY FEAR AN EXODUS FROM COMMUNITIES NORTH OF TRAVNIK SUCH AS MAGLAJ AND ZAVIDOVICI. MEANWHILE, THEY COMMENTED THAT THE AUTHORITIES IN TUZLA, UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE B-H GOVERNMENT IN SARAJEVO AND WITH ROADS VIRTUALLY INACCESSIBLE FROM THE SOUTH, HAVE BEEN FORCED TO NEGOTIATE WITH SERBIAN FORCES IN THE HOPE OF ESTABLISHING A PROTECTED CORRIDOR FOR RELIEF SUPPLIES FROM BELGRADE. ICRC-ZAGREB OFFICIALS DID NOT DISCOUNT A POSSIBLE SERB ATTACK ON TRAVNIK ITSELF BUT NOTED THAT THE CITY APPEARED TO BE WELL DEFENDED. NEITZKE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ZAGREB 02263 02 OF 02 031551Z LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNN