GOC OFFERS MORE DETAIL ON SECTOR WEST KIA, GRAVES, DETAINEES

UNCLASSIFIED LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 02174 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST AMEMBASSY BELGRADE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 002174 VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA; USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU BAKU FOR FINN E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: SUBJECT: GOC OFFERS MORE DETAIL ON SECTOR WEST KIA, GRAVES, DETAINEES REF: ZAGREB 2007 ¶1. AN OFFICIAL OF THE UN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN ZAGREB (PROTECT) SAYS THAT CENTER DIRECTOR MAZOWIECKI, IN THE WAKE OF HIS CHARGES THAT THERE WERE "MASS GRAVES" IN PARTS OF SECTOR WEST, HAD TALKS WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER KOSTOVIC TO TRY TO RESOLVE SOME OF THE REMAINING DISCREPANCIES AND HOLES IN INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT (REFTEL). ¶2. KOSTOVIC REPORTEDLY GAVE THE UNCHR THE FOLLOWING DATA ON DETAINEES: 205 PERSONS REMAIN IN DETENTION FROM THE SECTOR WEST OPERATION; 186 OF THESE ARE SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE WAR CRIMES CHARGES AND THEY ARE DISTRIBUTED AMONG FOUR DETENTION CENTERS, IN BJELOVAR, POZEGA, OSIJEK, AND SPLIT. AN ADDITIONAL 19 PERSONS LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ZAGREB 02174 01 OF 02 061626Z ARE DESCRIBED AS "FOREIGN NATIONALS" BEING CONSIDERED AS POWS, AND THEY ARE DETAINED IN SPLIT. ¶3. KOSTOVIC SAID THE GOC HAD TURNED OVER A COMPLETE LIST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS TO THE CROATIAN RED CROSS. MAZOWIECKI OBSERVED THAT THE CROATIAN RED CROSS MIGHT NOT BE VIEWED BY SERBS AS THE MOST NEUTRAL ORGANIZATION. KOSTOVIC AGREED AND PROMISED TO PROVIDE THE DATA ALSO TO ICRC. THE ICRC HAS CONFIRMED TO THE UNCHR THAT IS HAS BOTH A LIST AND/AND ACCESS TO THE DETAINED PERSONS. ¶4. REGARDING THE CHARGES OF MASS GRAVES, (FYI, WE NOW UNDERSTAND MAZOWIECKI'S PEOPLE OBSERVED, NOT "MASS GRAVES" AS SUCH BUT ROWS OF NEW GRAVEMOUNDS),KOSTOVIC PROVIDED THE UNCHR A LIST OF THE BURIAL SITES WHERE A TOTAL OF 188 FATALITIES FROM THE SECTOR WEST OPERATION HAD BEEN BURIED. 156 OF THESE HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED; 20 WERE DEFINITELY CIVILIANS, MOST EVIDENTLY KILLED IN THE CROSSFIRE OF A SKIRMISH NEAR NOVI VAROS. AN ADDITIONAL 34 WERE "POSSIBLE" CIVILIANS -- THOUGHT TO BE CIVILIANS ALTHOUGH MANY WERE DRESSED IN UNIFORMS OR PARTIAL UNIFORMS. KOSTOVIC REPEATED THE GOC'S OFFER TO MAKE INFORMATION ON THE IDENTITIES OF THE CIVILIAN DEAD AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUAL RELATIVES WHO MIGHT INQUIRE. HE SPECIFICALLY REJECTED THE IDEA OF PROVIDING THE NAMES OF THE MILITARY DEAD ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE "RSK" HAD NEVER PROVIDED SIMILAR INFORMATION AFTER THE FIGHTING IN EASTERN SLAVONIA (VUKOVAR). - ¶5. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW SAYING THERE WERE 10 SERB LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 04 ZAGREB 02174 01 OF 02 061626Z WOUNDED FOUND AFTER THE OPERATION; THEY HAD BEEN TREATED AND RELEASED. ¶6. ASKED IF UN OR OTHER AUTHORITIES INTENDED TO PURSUE THE ISSUE OF MASS GRAVES OR OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS FURTHER, OUR SOURCE THOUGHT THIS RELATIVELY UNLIKELY. REGARDING THE GRAVES, FM GRANIC HAD PROMISED WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL CHIEF PROSECUTOR GOLDSTONE DURING THE LATTER'S VISIT HERE THAT CROATIA WOULD COOPERATE WITH ANY INVESTIGATION. IT SEEMED POSSIBLE, HOWEVER, THAT THE TRIBUNAL WOULD FIND INSUFFICIENT CAUSE TO PURSUE THE MATTER FURTHER OR TO SEEK EXHUMATION. OUR CONTACT BELIEVED MAZOWIECKI WAS RELATIVELY SATISFIED WITH THE EXPLANATIONS GIVEN BY THE GOC. REGARDING THE OVERBLOWN ESTIMATE OF KIAS GIVEN BY DEFMIN SUSAK, HE FELT THERE WERE ENOUGH CREDIBLE SOURCES SUGGESTING THAT SUSAK HAD, IN EFFECT, BEEN SPEAKING WITHOUT BASIS. THE UN IN THE BANJA LUKA AREA HAD REPORTED "SEVERAL HUNDRED" WOUNDED AMONG THOSE WHO FLED FROM CROATIAN TO BOSNIAN TERRITORY LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNNPTQ9605 LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PTQ9605 PAGE 01 ZAGREB 02174 02 OF 02 061627Z ACTION EUR-01 INFO LOG-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 OASY-00 SRPP-00 EB-01 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-08 L-01 ADS-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 PA-01 PRS-01 P-01 SP-00 SS-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 USIE-00 SNIS-00 NISC-01 PRME-01 DRL-09 G-00 /030W -------------- CCE5B5 061627Z /38 P 061712Z JUN 95 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6038 INFO CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN// HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21// JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK USNMR SHAPE BE//POLAD// SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5// HQUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5// CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// COM SIXTHFLT//N2// WHITEHOUSE WASHDC NATO EU COLLECTIVE AMCONSUL MUNICH USLO SKOPJE USMISSION USUN NEW YORK USMISSION GENEVA AMEMBASSY BAKU AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 ZAGREB 02174 02 OF 02 061627Z AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST AMEMBASSY BELGRADE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 002174 VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA; USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU BAKU FOR FINN E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: SUBJECT: GOC OFFERS MORE DETAIL ON SECTOR WEST KIA, GRAVES, DETAINEES IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE ASSAULT, SO THAT THE FIGURE OF ONLY 10 WIA REMAINING ON THE CROATIAN SIDE COULD WELL BE CORRECT. ¶7. COMMENT: ALTHOUGH THE GOC HAS NOT BEEN PROACTIVE IN OFFERING INFORMATION IT WOULD BE IN ITS OWN INTEREST TO GIVE FREELY, THE UN HAS EVIDENTLY MADE SOME HEADWAY IN GETTING THE INFORMATION NEEDED. NEVERTHELESS, SERB POLITICIANS IN CROATIA SUCH AS THE SNS'S VESELIN PEJNOVIC CONTINUE TO CALL (WITH JUSTIFICATION) FOR CLARIFICATION OF NUMERICAL DISCREPANCIES (SUSAK'S ESTIMATE OF 1200 WOUNDED VS. KOSTOVIC'S 10),THE STATUS OF THE DETAINEES AND THE CHARGES AGAINST THEM, AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE RETURN TO SERBS OF THEIR PROPERTY. CONFIDENCE-BUILDING HAS A LONG WAY TO GO YET. LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ZAGREB 02174 02 OF 02 061627Z GALBRAITH LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNN