TFSROL: THE MEDIA WAR: CROAT-MUSLIM

CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 00467

SIPDIS


AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J2I//
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
USMISSION GENEVA
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000467

SIPDIS


VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM HR PHUM HR BK
SUBJECT: TFSROL: THE MEDIA WAR: CROAT-MUSLIM
NAME-CALLING


1. (U) THIS EMBASSY CONTINUES TO NOTE THE ROLE OF THE
LOCAL MEDIA IN HEIGHTENING ETHNIC TENSIONS. GOVERNMENT
OWNED AND CONTROLLED CROATIAN TV (HTV) ON SATURDAY,
JAN. 29, BROADCAST TWO UNSCHEDULED DOCUMENTARIES
BACK-TO-BACK IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENING NEWS. THE
FIRST WAS A TWENTY MINUTE FILM CALLED "THE ROAD TO
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CENTRAL BOSNIA" AND THE SECOND WAS A LONGER FEATURE
CALLED "THE CHRONOLOGY OF MUSLIM WAR CRIMES AGAINST
CROATS IN B-H." THE EVENING MOVIE WAS DELAYED AN HOUR
IN ORDER TO AIR THESE DOCUMENTARIES. THE TV SPECIALS
WERE NOT ON THE DAILY TV SCHEDULE BUT HAD BEEN WELL
ADVERTISED DURING THE DAY ON HTV. AS THE TITLES
INDICATE, THEY FOCUSED ON MUSLIM MISDEEDS IN CENTRAL
B-H. BOTH DOCUMENTARIES APPEARED HASTILY PUT TOGETHER,
AND WERE POORLY PRODUCED. NEITHER WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A
NARRATED SCRIPT AND BOTH CONSISTED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY
OF AMATEUR FOOTAGE AND TAPED INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL
BOSNIAN CROATS DESCRIBING MUSLIM ATROCITIES. THERE WAS
LITTLE DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED AS TO THE TIME AND PLACE
OF THE EVENTS DESCRIBED.


2. (U) "THE ROAD TO CENTRAL BOSNIA" INCLUDED
INTERVIEWS WITH CROAT RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL BOSNIA (ALL
EXPRESSING FEAR OF MUSLIM FORCES) AND CROAT SOLDIERS.
THE OVERALL MESSAGE WAS "THE ENEMY IS COMING AND WE ARE
PREPARED." "THE CHRONOLOGY OF WAR CRIMES" WAS MORE
POWERFUL WITH GRAPHIC PICTURES OF CORPSES AND WEEPING
SURVIVORS, MOSTLY WOMEN. IN ALL CASES, MUSLIMS WERE
NAMED AS THE PERPETRATORS OF THE MASSACRES. MOST OF
THE FOOTAGE CLEARLY DATED FROM THE FALL OR BEFORE.
-

3. (C) ONE EMBARRASSED PROFESSIONAL TV JOURNALIST
COMPLAINED TO OUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER THAT THIS LINE
OF TV PROGRAMMING WAS DIRECTED BY THE HEAD OF HTV,
ANTON VRDOLJAK. VRDOLJAK IS A HIGHLY UNPOPULAR, BUT
INFLUENTIAL, MEMBER OF THE RULING PARTY AND THE
CROATIAN PARLIAMENT. ACCORDING TO THE JOURNALIST, THE
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PROGRAMMING CHIEF AT HTV WAS AFRAID OF VRDOLJAK AND
WOULD NEVER RESIST WHAT THE "BIG MAN" DIRECTED.


4. (U) THESE TV BROADCASTS CONTRAST TO THOSE IN THE
AUTUMN WHICH DEPICTED GRAPHICALLY (USING CNN FOOTAGE)
STARVING MUSLIMS IN THE HVO-RUN DETENTION CAMPS AND THE
HVO'S DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD BRIDGE IN MOSTAR. HTV HAS
ALSO AIRED SHOWS WITH SURPRISINGLY CANDID CRITICISM
FROM OPPOSITION LEADERS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT'S B-H
POLICY. THUS, THESE CRUDE PROPAGANDIST EFFORTS
REPRESENT A BACKWARD STEP FOR HTV, AS WELL AS A SIGN OF
A DEGENERATING POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT.


5. (C) ANXIETY AMONG MUSLIM RESIDENTS OF ZAGREB WAS
EXPRESSED BY THE WIFE OF A LEADING MUSLIM HUMANITARIAN
AID WORKER WHO IS ALSO A PROFESSIONAL. SHE DECLINED AN
INVITATION FOR A PRESTIGIOUS USIA VISITORS' PROGRAM
BECAUSE OF FEAR THAT HER EMPLOYER WOULD FIRE HER IF SHE
WAS ABSENT FROM HER JOB. OBVIOUSLY AGITATED AND
FRUSTRATED SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN WARNED FOUR TIMES


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ACTION SS-00

INFO LOG-00 AID-01 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 C-01 OASY-00 DOEE-00
EB-01 EUR-01 HA-09 H-01 IMMC-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
IO-16 LAB-01 L-01 ADS-00 NEA-01 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 RPE-01 SNIS-00 NISC-02 /049W
-------------- 20F10F 021627Z /38
O 021620Z FEB 94
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0729
INFO SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP//
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD//
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD//
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD//
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22//
COMSIXTHFLT NAPLES IT//N2//
USIA WASHDC 4220
USEC BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY VIENNA
AMEMBASSY WARSAW
AMEMBASSY TIRANA
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
AMEMBASSY SOFIA
AMEMBASSY ROME
497IG AMHS BOLLING AFB DC//INAGE//
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//
AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
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AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J2I//
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
USMISSION GENEVA
WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000467

SIPDIS


VIENNA ALSO FOR EMBASSY BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM HR PHUM HR BK
SUBJECT: TFSROL: THE MEDIA WAR: CROAT-MUSLIM
NAME-CALLING

THAT HER PERFORMANCE WAS BEING CLOSELY MONITORED. SHE
SAID THAT FINDING A NEW JOB AS A MUSLIM IN CROATIA

WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE. WE HAVE ALSO HEARD
REPORTS OF GRAFFITI SAYING "MUSLIMS GET OUT" BEING
SCRAWLED IN ENGLISH ON THE DOORS OF MUSLIMS' APARTMENTS.
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6. (U) AT THE SAME TIME, THE B-H GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO
BEGUN NAME-CALLING. IN THE PAST FEW DAYS, AS SEEN IN
FBIS REPORTS, RADIO SARAJEVO HAS BEGUN REFERRING TO
BOSNIAN CROATS AS "USTASHA." OFFICIAL B-H GOVERNMENT
ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE ALSO BEGUN USING THE TERM. THE
DAILY "REVIEW OF MAJOR EVENTS" PREPARED BY THE B-H
FOREIGN MINISTRY AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE BOSNIAN EMBASSY
IN ZAGREB NOW REFERS TO CROAT FORCES AS USTASHA.

GALBRAITH


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