Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
95ZAGREB1824
1995-05-11 19:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Zagreb
Cable title:  

CROATIA UPDATE NO. 36: U.S., UN, EXPLORING CROAT TREATMENT OF SERBS IN WESTERN SLAVONIA

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CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01824 

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CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN//

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 001824

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VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA; USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE

BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU

E.O. 12356: DECL 5/11/00
TAGS:
SUBJECT: CROATIA UPDATE NO. 36: U.S., UN, EXPLORING
CROAT TREATMENT OF SERBS IN WESTERN SLAVONIA


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SUMMARY
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CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01824

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CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN//

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 001824

SIPDIS


VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA; USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE

BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU

E.O. 12356: DECL 5/11/00
TAGS:
SUBJECT: CROATIA UPDATE NO. 36: U.S., UN, EXPLORING
CROAT TREATMENT OF SERBS IN WESTERN SLAVONIA


--------------
SUMMARY
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1. (C) VARIOUS UN ORGANIZATIONS, ESPECIALLY CIVPOL,
ARE STRENGTHENING THEIR EFFORTS TO MONITOR AND
INVESTIGATE CONDITIONS FOR SERBS IN "SECTOR WEST."
MANY UN OFFICIALS SAY THEY STILL SUSPECT THERE WERE AT
LEAST SOME HUMAN RIGHTS TRANSGRESSIONS BY CROATIAN
FORCES DURING AND AFTER THE MAY 1 OFFENSIVE, AND ARE
UNEASY THAT LITTLE SPECIFIC EVIDENCE OF CROATIAN
WRONGDOING HAS TURNED UP SO FAR.


2. (LOU) EMBASSY'S INVESTIGATION OF CROAT TREATMENT OF
MILITARY DETAINEES AND CIVILIANS CONTINUES TODAY WITH
POLOFFS' RETURN VISIT TO BJELOVAR (SITE OF ONE
DETENTION CENTER, WHERE WE EXPECT TO INTERVIEW SOME OF
THE DETAINEES); STARA GRADISKA TO CHECK THE STATUS OF
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PAGE 03 ZAGREB 01824 01 OF 02 111828Z
THE TOWN AND POSSIBLY INTERVIEW SOME OF THE BOSNIA-
BOUND SERBS; AND OTHER LOCATIONS. OUR REQUEST TO THE
UN TO BE ABLE TO INTERVIEW SOME OF THE NEPALI TROOPS IN
THE AREA WHO MIGHT HAVE WITNESSED ATROCITIES HAS BEEN
TURNED DOWN BY UNCRO HEADQUARTERS, ALTHOUGH WE WERE
TOLD WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO INTERVIEW THEM HERE IN ZAGREB.


3. (C) ON MAY 11, E.J. FLYNN (PROTECT) OF THE UN
CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (MAZOWIECKI COMMISSION) IN
ZAGREB TOLD US HE IS TAKING A CAUTIOUS ATTITUDE ABOUT
GIVING THE GOC A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH ON HUMAN RIGHTS
GROUNDS. ALTHOUGH ADMITTING THE UN DOES NOT TAKE THE
ACCUSATIONS OUT OF BELGRADE ABOUT A MASSACRE AT THE
STARA GRADISKA BRIDGE TERRIBLY SERIOUSLY, HE SAID THERE
WERE "A NUMBER" OF REPORTS OF INCIDENTS WHICH SUGGESTED
THE CROATIAN ARMY (HV) MIGHT HAVE KILLED CIVILIANS
DURING THEIR INITIAL OFFENSIVE. FLYNN FOUND "SUSPECT"
THE FACT THAT THERE HAD BEEN VERY LITTLE INFORMATION SO
FAR ABOUT SERB CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN THE AREA. THE
ONLY SPECIFIC INCIDENT HE RAISED, HOWEVER, WAS ONE THAT
VELJO DJAKULA RAISED WITH THE AMBASSADOR MAY 8, IN
WHICH SIX OF SEVEN PEOPLE TRYING TO ESCAPE PAKRAC IN A
TRUCK AT NIGHT HAD APPARENTLY BEEN KILLED BY CROATIAN
FIRE.


4. (C) THE UN CENTRE ALSO HAS "VARIOUS" REPORTS OF

MISTREATMENT AND PHYSICAL ABUSE OF MILITARY DETAINEES,
PARTICULARLY AT THE VARAZDIN CENTER. (NOTE: EMBASSY
HAS NOT YET VISITED THE VARAZDIN CENTER BUT WILL BE
DOING SO IN THE NEAR FUTURE.) FLYNN TOLD US THAT THE
WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL WAS PLANNING TO SEND AN
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PAGE 04 ZAGREB 01824 01 OF 02 111828Z
INVESTIGATIVE TEAM TO CROATIA NEXT WEEK; IT WOULD LOOK
AT THE QUESTION OF THE ROCKET ATTACKS ON ZAGREB, AS
WELL AS QUESTIONS OF CROAT TREATMENT OF SERBS.


5. (LOU) UNCIVPOL COMMISSION SVEN FREDRIKSSON TOLD US
MAY 11 THAT HE HAD ALREADY ADDED 70 ADDITIONAL CIVPOL
OFFICERS IN FORMER SECTOR WEST, BRINGING THE TOTAL
PRESENCE CURRENTLY TO 130. HE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO
ADD 30 TO 40 MORE AS NEW INCOMING PERSONNEL WERE
TRAINED. CIVPOL IS CONTINUING AND EVEN AUGMENTING ITS
PREVIOUSLY EXISTING PRESENCE IN "THE NORTHERN PART OF
SECTOR WEST" (NOTE: THAT IS THE NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF
THE FORMALLY DEFINED "UNPA WEST" WHICH HAS IN PRACTICAL
TERMS BEEN CONTROLLED BY THE CROATS SINCE BEFORE
UNPROFOR FORCES ARRIVED IN CROATIA. BECAUSE A SMALL
SERB MINORITY REMAINS IN THE AREA, THERE IS A
LEGITIMATE "REASSURANCE" ROLE THERE FOR UNCIVPOL). THE
UN THOUGHT ITS HEIGHTENED VISIBILITY IN THIS AREA WOULD
BE USEFUL; CIVPOL HAS ORDERS TO VISIT "EVERY VILLAGE
EVERY DAY."


6. (LOU) MOST OF THE INCREASE IN NUMBERS, HOWEVER,









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PAGE 01 ZAGREB 01824 02 OF 02 111827Z
ACTION EUR-01

INFO LOG-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 OASY-00 EB-01 H-01
TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-10 L-01 ADS-00 NEA-01 NSAE-00
NSCE-00 OIC-02 PA-01 PM-00 PRS-01 P-01 SP-00
SR-00 SS-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 USIE-00 SA-01 SNIS-00
NISC-01 PMB-00 PRME-01 PRMC-01 DRL-09 G-00 /035W
-------------- C4A889 111827Z /38
P 111925Z MAY 95
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5744
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21//
JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP//
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5//
HQUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5//
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22//
COM SIXTHFLT//N2//
AMCONSUL MUNICH
USLO SKOPJE
USMISSION GENEVA

AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
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CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN//

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 001824

SIPDIS


VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA; USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE

BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU

E.O. 12356: DECL 5/11/00
TAGS:
SUBJECT: CROATIA UPDATE NO. 36: U.S., UN, EXPLORING
CROAT TREATMENT OF SERBS IN WESTERN SLAVONIA

WOULD BE DEDICATED TO THE "SOUTHERN PART OF SECTOR
WEST," I.E., THE AREA RECENTLY RETAKEN BY THE CROATS.
FREDRIKSSON SAID HE AND OTHERS HAD VISITED ALL THE
VILLAGES IN THE PAKRAC AND GAVRILICA AREAS ON MAY 10.
CIVPOL WOULD CONDUCT "DISPATCHED" (I.E. ROVING) PATROLS
BUT WOULD ALSO HAVE STATIONARY POSTS IN THE MOST
SENSITIVE AREAS. CIVPOL HAD RETURNED TO OKUCANI MAY 10
AND WOULD BE ABLE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION THERE WITH A
TOTAL OF 16 OFFICERS. IN ALL AREAS, THE CIVPOL VIEWED
ITS MISSION AS GATHERING SOUND, VERIFIABLE INFORMATION
ON POSSIBLE CRIMES AND INCIDENTS, AND REASSURANCE OF
THE MINORITY POPULATION.


7. (C) CIVPOL NOW HAS ALMOST COMPLETE FREEDOM OF
MOVEMENT AND HAS FOUND THE CROATS EXTREMELY
COOPERATIVE. FREDRIKSSON SAID THERE HAD BEEN "ONLY"
THREE CASES IN WHICH CROATIAN OFFICIALS HAD SOUGHT TO
DENY ACCESS (AND EXPLAINED THE WORD "ONLY" BY SAYING,
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PAGE 03 ZAGREB 01824 02 OF 02 111827Z
"I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED MANY MORE"). WHEN MILITARY
POLICE IN ONE VILLAGE NEAR PAKRAC DENIED CIVPOL ACCESS,
THE CROATIAN CIVILIAN POLICE AUTHORITIES ON THE SCENE
HAD GONE TO HIGHER AUTHORITY AND GOT THE MILITARY
POLICE DECISION REVERSED, ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE GOC
HAD ORDERED "FULL COOPERATION WITH THE UN." WHEN
CIVPOL OFFICERS WHO RETURNED TO THEIR FORMER OFFICES IN
OKUCANI FOUND THEM OCCUPIED BY THE HV -- BUT THE
CROATIAN SOLDIERS DID RELINQUISH THE SPACE ON REQUEST.
(ALL THE OFFICE EQUIPMENT WAS MISSING, WHETHER TAKEN BY
SERBS OR CROATS, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY). ON THE
OTHER HAND, CIVPOL PERSONNEL INVESTIGATING A REPORT OF
A GRAVE DESECRATION IN OKUCANI GOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE
THAT A GRAVE APPEARED TO BE OPEN, AND TO DETECT A
"POWERFUL ODOR," BUT WERE TURNED AWAY BY MILITARY
POLICE. (THIS INCIDENT WILL BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER.)


8. (C) FREDRIKSSON SEEMED TO SHARE FLYNN'S VIEW THAT
MORE INCIDENTS WOULD COME TO LIGHT. HE SAID CIVPOL HAD
FIELDED "LOTS OF COMPLAINTS," AND FELT THERE WAS NO
DOUBT THAT "WRONGDOING" HAD OCCURRED, THOUGH CIVPOL HAD
DETECTED NO PATTERN OF ABUSE BUT RATHER, ISOLATED
INCIDENTS. THE UN, HE THOUGHT, NEEDED TO "FLOOD THE
AREA" WITH OBSERVERS TO DEVELOP "QUALITY INFORMATION"
TO BE ABLE TO CONFIRM OR REFUTE REPORTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS. FREDRIKSSON ALSO ECHOED A POINT WE HAVE
HEARD FROM SOME CROATIAN CONTACTS, I.E. THAT THE
CROATIAN POLICE WERE TURNING FOR ASSISTANCE IN
ADMINISTERING THE AREA TO PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN MEMBERS
OF THE "DOMOBRAN" (LOCAL MILITIA) IN THE AREA BEFORE
THE WAR. THESE, HE THOUGHT, WERE "EXACTLY THE WRONG
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PAGE 04 ZAGREB 01824 02 OF 02 111827Z
PEOPLE TO USE" BECAUSE THEY MIGHT HARBOR GRUDGES. HE
HAD EXPRESSED HIS MISGIVING TO THE CROATIAN POLICE, WHO
COUNTERED THAT THESE PEOPLE'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREA
MADE THEM INVALUABLE.


9. COMMENT: IN SUM, THERE IS A SENSE OF UNEASE AMONG
UN PERSONNEL THAT, DESPITE THE LACK OF EVIDENCE SO FAR
ON THE GROUND, SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS REMAIN
TO BE UNCOVERED. ECHOING THIS ATTITUDE, UN CIVIL
AFFAIRS CHIEF FOR CROATIA JAQUE GRINBERG TOLD POLOFF
MAY 11 THAT THE ORIGINAL MOVE IN NEW YORK TOWARD
CENSURE OF THE CROATIAN ACTION HAD "NOT BEEN
PREMATURE," IMPLYING THAT UN'S JUDGMENT WOULD YET BE
VINDICATED. WE BELIEVE THERE ARE CERTAINLY INCIDENTS
WHICH REQUIRE FULL INVESTIGATION, AND HAVE MADE CLEAR
TO UN OFFICIALS THAT OUR OWN EFFORTS WILL LIKEWISE
EXPLORE ALL AVENUES TO ASCERTAIN THE FACTS.

GALBRAITH












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