TFSROL: AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH MEETS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000157

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/EE AND HA
VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA
LJUBLJANA PLEASE PASS TO AMB. ALBRIGHT'S PARTY

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL PHUM HR PHUM HR SR
SUBJECT: TFSROL: AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH MEETS WITH
"KRAJINA PRESIDENT" GORAN HADZIC

REF: ZAGREB 0073


1. ON JANUARY 6, DURING THE VISIT OF UN AMBASSADOR
ALBRIGHT TO SECTOR EAST REPORTED REFTEL, AMBASSADOR
GALBRAITH MET FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES WITH
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GORAN HADZIC, THE LAME DUCK "PRESIDENT" OF THE
"REPUBLIC OF THE SERBIAN KRAJINA" (RSK) AND MILAN
ILIC, THE HEAD OF THE LOCAL "REGIONAL COUNCIL."
REGIONAL COUNCILS ARE SAID TO BE THE LOCAL
LEGISLATIVE BODIES IN THE SERB-OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
OF CROATIA. THE MEETING TOOK PLACE IN A MUNICIPAL
BUILDING AT THE BOROVO FACTORY OUTSIDE VUKOVAR.
AMBASSADOR ALBRIGHT AND ASSISTANT SECRETARY SHATTUCK
AND THEIR PARTY ALSO ATTENDED THE MEETING, BUT DID
NOT PARTICIPATE. EMBASSY CON/POL OFFICER WAS
NOTETAKER. THE MEETING WAS AGREED TO AFTER THE LOCAL
SERBS THREATENED TO OBSTRUCT THE VISIT OF THE
ALBRIGHT PARTY TO THE OVCARA GRAVE SITE UNLESS THEY
HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE GROUP. THE BRIEF
MEETING FOLLOWED THE VISIT TO THE GRAVE SITE.
(NOTE: OVCARA IS SAID TO BE THE SITE OF A MASS GRAVE
WHERE THE BODIES OF UP TO THREE HUNDRED PEOPLE TAKEN
BY THE SERBS FROM THE VUKOVAR HOSPITAL ARE BURIED.
END NOTE.)


2. AFTER WELCOMING THE GROUP, HADZIC COMPLAINED THAT
THE "RSK" WAS A "SMALL AND POOR" COUNTRY WHICH CANNOT
GET THE TRUTH TO THE WORLD. THE SERBS ARE BLAMED FOR
EVERYTHING, HE SAID, EVEN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD
BRIDGE IN MOSTAR. IT IS NOT TRUE, HE ADDED, THAT
EVERYTHING THE SERBS DO IS BAD AND EVERYTHING THE
CROATS DO IS GOOD, "JUST AS IT WOULD BE A LIE IF I
TOLD YOU EVERYTHING THE SERBS DID WAS GOOD." HADZIC
SAID THE SERBS HAD FOUGHT TO DEFEND THEIR HOMES AFTER
THE WAR WAS STARTED BY CROATS WHO KILLED OR SET FIRE
TO EVERYTHING WHICH BELONGED TO THE SERBS. HE
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PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00157 01 OF 02 121835Z
CONCLUDED BY SEEKING THE GROUPS' OBSERVATIONS HAVING
JUST VISITED THE OVCARA GRAVE SITE.


3. AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH RESPONDED THAT, AS
"AMBASSADOR TO THIS COUNTRY," HE WANTED TO EXPRESS
THE UNITED STATES' COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS FOR
"ALL OF THE PEOPLES OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA." NOTING
THAT THE OVCARA SITE HAD MADE A STRONG IMPRESSION ON
ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, HE EXPRESSED THE
DETERMINATION OF THE U.S. THAT THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR
WAR CRIMES "ON ALL SIDES" WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
HE THEN DETAILED U.S. POLICY TOWARDS THE REGION,
SPECIFICALLY NOTING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE TERRITORIAL
INTEGRITY OF CROATIA AND THE DEMAND THAT THE HUMAN
RIGHTS OF ALL GROUPS, INCLUDING THE SERBIAN
COMMUNITY, BE PROTECTED "IN FACT AS WELL AS IN LAW."


4. HADZIC REPLIED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THE
AMBASSADOR'S "SINCERE WISH FOR PEACE," BUT THAT IT
WAS CLEAR "YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF CERTAIN FACTS


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PAGE 01 ZAGREB 00157 02 OF 02 121835Z
ACTION SS-00

INFO LOG-00 AID-01 CIAE-00 C-01 OASY-00 DOEE-00 EB-01
EUR-01 HA-09 H-01 IMMC-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-16
L-01 ADS-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-01 PM-01
PRS-01 P-01 RPCS-01 SCT-03 SIL-00 SNP-00 SP-00
SR-00 SSO-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 RPE-01
SNIS-00 NISC-02 /047W
-------------- 19675D 121836Z /38
P 121921Z JAN 94
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0487
INFO CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD//
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD//
497IG AMHS BOLLING AFB DC//INAGE//
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21//
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP//
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22//
COM SIXTHFLT//N2//
USEC BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY VIENNA
AMEMBASSY WARSAW
AMEMBASSY TIRANA
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
AMEMBASSY SOFIA
AMEMBASSY ROME
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD//
AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
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AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY LONDON
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
USMISSION GENEVA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000157

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/EE AND HA
VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA
LJUBLJANA PLEASE PASS TO AMB. ALBRIGHT'S PARTY

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL PHUM HR PHUM HR SR
SUBJECT: TFSROL: AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH MEETS WITH
"KRAJINA PRESIDENT" GORAN HADZIC

REGARDING THE HISTORY" OF THE REGION. HE THEN
CATALOGED THE SERBS' HISTORICAL GRIEVANCES AND LAID
BLAME FOR THE WAR ON THE CROATS. REGARDING WAR
CRIMES, HADZIC COMPLAINED THAT WAR CRIMES IN VIETNAM,
CAMBODIA, AND ARGENTINA HAD NEVER BEEN PUNISHED AND
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PAGE 03 ZAGREB 00157 02 OF 02 121835Z
ASKED WHY ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON CRIMES IN THE
FORMER YUGOSLAVIA? HE ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT HE WAS
WILLING TO SEE SERB CRIMINALS FACE THE TRIBUNAL AND
EVEN UNDERSTOOD THAT SERBS MAY NEED TO BE THE FIRST
TRIED, "BUT NOT ONLY SERBS SHOULD BE TRIED."


5. MILAN ILIC, HEAD OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL THEN
DELIVERED A SPEECH FULL OF BOMBAST, COMPLETE WITH
QUOTATIONS FROM MARX (AND ELIHU ROOT),WHILE
WAVING IN THE AIR BOOKS ALLEGEDLY PROVING CROATIAN
GUILT FOR THE WAR. HE STATED FIRMLY THAT SERBS WOULD
NEVER ACCEPT BEING PART OF CROATIA AGAIN BECAUSE
"THAT WOULD MEAN THE END OF SERBS' EXISTENCE."


6. ASKED ABOUT THE RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS TO
THEIR HOMES IN THE KRAJINA, HADZIC SAID THAT THOSE
NOT GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES (ADDING "WHILE MOST CROATS
ARE, A FEW ARE NOT") CAN RETURN AS SOON AS THEY
ACKNOWLEDGE THE KRAJINA'S SOVEREIGNTY AND BECOME
"RSK" CITIZENS. HADZIC QUIPPED THAT U.S. AND RSK
POLICIES WERE NEARLY IDENTICAL, SINCE THE KRAJINA
ALSO SUPPORTS CROATIA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY "WITHIN
ITS CURRENT BOUNDARIES."


7. CONCLUDING THE MEETING, AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH SAID
THAT HE FELT IT COULD MARK THE BEGINNING OF A
DIALOGUE WITH THE SERBIAN COMMUNITY IN THE KRAJINA.


8. NOTE: ON JANUARY 11, THE EMBASSY ASKED UNPROFOR
TO ARRANGE A VISIT TO SECTOR EAST FOR A CONGRESSIONAL
STAFF DELEGATION. WHEN UNPROFOR WENT TO THE "KRAJINA
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PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00157 02 OF 02 121835Z
REGIONAL COUNCIL" TO "INFORM THEM OF THE VISIT" --
I.E., ASK THEIR PERMISSION -- THE SERB'S ANSWERED
WITH A FLAT NO. UNPROFOR ARGUED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO
ANXIETY AMONG LOCAL LEADERS IN THE BUILD-UP TO THE
FINAL ROUND OF KRAJINA ELECTIONS. BUT THEY ALSO
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE SERBS WERE NOT PLEASED THAT
THEIR MEETING WITH AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH HAD FAILED TO
CONFER ON THEM ANY INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY OR ANY
PERCEPTIBLE IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR IMAGE. END NOTE.

GALBRAITH


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