SREBRENICA UPDATE: BSA TAKES AWAY DRAFT AGE MALES; UNPROFOR SPOKESMAN CRITICIZES THE UNSC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 002615 SIPDIS USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE E.O. 12356: DECL: 7/13/00 TAGS: SUBJECT: SREBRENICA UPDATE: BSA TAKES AWAY DRAFT AGE MALES; UNPROFOR SPOKESMAN CRITICIZES THE UNSC ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. SREBRENICA UPDATE -------------- ¶2. THE UN REPORTS THAT 26,000 REFUGEES FROM SREBRENICA ARE STILL BEING TAKEN CARE OF BY THE DUTCH BATTALION IN POTOCARI, HOWEVER, FOOD IS EXPECTED RUN OUT BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY. SEVERAL THOUSAND DRAFT AGE MALES ARE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY BY THE BSA FOR QUESTIONING REGARDING WAR CRIMES CHARGES, BUT THE DESTINATION IS UNKNOWN (POSSIBLY TO BRATUNAC WHERE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS INDICATE THAT 48 DUTCH PEACEKEEPERS ARE STILL REING "DETAINED.") SO FAR, 6,000 DISPLACED PERSONS (DP'S) HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO KLADANJ IN BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT TERRITORY. THE BSA IS TAKING REFUGEES BY BUS AS FAR AS 1-2 KILOMETERS FROM THE BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT LINES AND THEN TELLING THEM TO WALK THE REST OF THE WAY. UNHCR WILL MOVE THE GROUP AT KLADANJ TO TUZLA, WHERE 4,000 DP'S ARE LOCATED AT THE AIRPORT, IN AN AREA THAT IS STILL SURROUNDED BY MINES. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ZAGREB 02615 01 OF 02 131336Z ONE GROUP OF 33 WOUNDED REFUGEES WHO WERE UNABLE TO WALK TO GOBH LINES TRIED TO TURN BACK TO POTOCARI, BUT WERE STOPPED AT A BSA CHECKPOINT AND ARE BEING DENIED ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE. A UNHCR CONVOY FROM BELGRADE CARRYING FOOD, WATER, MEDECINE, AND SANITARY SUPPLIES TO POTOCARI IS BEING DETAINED BY THE BSA. ¶3. SOURCES AT THE UN AND IOM TOLD US THAT BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE ALSO IMPEDING ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN ORDER TO WORSEN THE SITUATION AND FOCUS INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION. GOBH MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO HASAN MURATOVIC REPORTEDLY TOOK A HARD LINE WITH UNHCR, SAYING THAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR CARE OF THE REFUGEES LIES SOLELY WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. WE WERE TOLD THAT GOBH AUTHORITIES ARE BLOCKING UNHCR ATTEMPTS TO MOVE DP'S FROM THE TUZLA AIRPORT INTO 11,000 SPACES IN TOWN AND IOM REPORTED THAT 40 INJURED DP'S WERE TURNED AWAY FROM TUZLA HOSPITAL. UN CONTACTS ALSO ACCUSED THE GOBH OF DELAYING AID CONVOYS. ¶4. AS OF NOON ON JULY 13, GORAZDE AND ZEPA ARE REPORTED TO BE CALM. HOWEVER, THE UN STATED THAT THERE IS LITTLE THAT COULD BE DONE TO KEEP THE ZEPA ENCLAVE FROM BEING OVERRUN IN CASE OF AN ATTACK. THERE ARE NO CURRENT PLANS TO REINFORCE THE 70 UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS IN THE TOWN. -------------- CRITICISM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL -------------- ¶5. COMMENTING ON THE DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION ON SREBRENICA, CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ZAGREB 02615 01 OF 02 131336Z UN DEPUTY PRESS SPOKESMAN CHRIS GUNNESS SAID THAT REESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAFE AREA IS NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN AS IT WOULD REQUIRE RECONQUERING THE ENCLAVE. THE SITUATION IN SREBRENICA, HE SAID, SHOWS THAT THE CONCEPT OF SAFE AREAS IS UNREALISTIC. THIS CRISIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PURSUING LOFTY OBJECTIVES WITHOUT PROVIDING THE UN WITH SUFFICIENT RESOURCES TO CARRY THEM OUT. WHEN ASKED IF UNPROFOR WILL PROTECT THE OTHER SAFE AREAS IN CASE OF ATTACK, THE SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE REPLIED THAT UNPROFOR COULD DO THIS ONLY IF MEMBER STATES HAVE THE POLITICAL WILL TO PROVIDE THE MILITARY RESOURCES. REFERRING TO A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR THE RAPID REACTION FORCE, GUNNESS SAID THAT TROOP CONTRIBUTORS STILL HAVE NOT INDICATED HOW THIS FORCE IS TO BE USED. -------------- GOC TO STATE ITS POSITION -------------- ¶6. CHARGE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS HAVE CONFIDENTIAL NNNNPTQ5597 CONFIDENTIAL PTQ5597 PAGE 01 ZAGREB 02615 02 OF 02 131336Z ACTION EUR-01 INFO LOG-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 OASY-00 DOEE-00 SRPP-00 EB-01 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-08 L-01 ADS-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 PA-01 PM-00 PRS-01 P-01 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 USIE-00 SNIS-00 NISC-01 PMB-00 PRME-01 DRL-09 G-00 /030W -------------- D91546 131336Z /38 O 131425Z JUL 95 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6394 INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// AMEMBASSY BELGRADE NATO EU COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST USLO SKOPJE JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-4/J-5// AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//POLAD// COMSIXTHFLT //N2// JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD// CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD// CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XOX/IN/POLAD// AMCONSUL MUNICH CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ZAGREB 02615 02 OF 02 131336Z NSC WASHDC C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 002615 SIPDIS USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE E.O. 12356: DECL: 7/13/00 TAGS: SUBJECT: SREBRENICA UPDATE: BSA TAKES AWAY DRAFT AGE MALES; UNPROFOR SPOKESMAN CRITICIZES THE UNSC BEEN INVITED TO ATTEND A BREIFING ON THE CROATIAN POSITION ON THE SITUATION IN SREBRENICA BY FOREIGN MINISTER GRANIC THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 13. WE EXPECT THE MESSAGE WILL BE SIMILAR TO THAT EXPRESSED BY CROATIA'S UN AMBASSADOR MARIO NOBILO IN NEW YORK ON JULY 12, TO THE EFFECT THAT CROATIA DEPLORES THE OUTCOME IN SREBRENICA AND IS CONCERNED ABOUT ITS POTENTIAL TO CREATE NEW REFUGEE FLOWS, RUT WILL NOT TAKE ANY CONCRETE ACTION IN RESPONSE. NOBILO STRESSED, HOWEVER, THAT ANY SIMILAR LARGE-SCALE OFFENSIVE ACTION AGAINST THE BIHAC POCKET MIGHT CREATE UP TO 60,000 REFUGEES AND THUS CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO CROATIA'S WELL- BEING. THEREFORE, THE GOC "MIGHT BE FORCED TO TAKE MEASURES FOR ENSURING THE STATUS OF BIHAC AS A PROTECTED AREA IF THAT STATUS WERE THREATENED." KLEMP CONFIDENTIAL NNNN