THE ART OF EDITING: CROATIAN TELEVISION FAILS

UNCLAS ZAGREB 004592 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE AND PA USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE USIA FOR EEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: HR BK SR PREL PHUM SUBJECT: THE ART OF EDITING: CROATIAN TELEVISION FAILS TO MENTION AMBASSADOR'S CRITICISM OF BLASKIC PROMOTION SUMMARY -------------- UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 04592 161635Z ¶1. ALTHOUGH THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL'S INDICTMENT OF SIX BOSNIAN CROATS WAS NOT BIG NEWS IN THIS COUNTRY, THE NAMING OF ONE OF THEM, TIHOMIR BLASKIC, THE NEXT DAY TO A HIGH POSITION IN THE CROATIAN ARMY WAS. BY DAY THREE, HOWEVER, THE CROATIAN MEDIA -- THANKS, NO DOUBT, TO THE HIDDEN HAND OF POLITICAL CONTROL EXERCISED OVER IT -- LOST INTEREST IN THE STORY. IN FACT, CROATIAN TELEVISION, TO WHOM PRESIDENT TUDJMAN FIRST FAXED WORD OF BLASKIC'S NOMINATION, FAILED EVEN TO MENTION THAT AMBASSADOR GAILBRAITH HAD PUBLICLY CRITICIZED THIS MOVE, ALTHOUGH THEIR CAMERAS WERE PRESENT AND THEY REPORTED EXTENSIVELY ON OTHER REMARKS HE MADE AT THE SAME TIME. DEMONSTRABLY OUTSPOKEN -------------- ¶2. ON NOVEMBER 15, AS THEY DO MOST DAYS, THE "MOTHERS OF VUKOVAR" GATHERED IN THE PARK ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE EMBASSY BETWEEN NOON AND ONE O'CLOCK. DRESSED IN BLACK, THEY STAND BEHIND PICTURES OF THEIR SONS, WHO HAVE BEEN BEEN MISSING SINCE 1991. SOME HOLD PLACARDS ALOFT, REMINDING THOSE IN DAYTON NOT TO FORGET THE MISSING IN VUKOVAR. ¶3. ON NOVEMBER 15, AS HE DOES MOST DAYS, AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH STROLLED OVER TO TALK TO THE THEM. THIS TIME, UNLIKE MOST DAYS, IN ADDITION TO THE DEMONSTRATORS AND THE USUAL KNOT OF CURIOUS ONLOOKERS A LARGE GROUP OF REPORTERS, FROM BOTH THE DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MEDIA, HAD GATHERED. THEY PEPPERED THE AMBASSADOR WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ISSUE OF THE DAY -- THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 04592 161635Z REACTION TO BLASKIC'S NEW POSITION. AMBASSADOR GALBRAITH REPLIED BY REITERATING THE LONG-STANDING AMERICAN POSITION -- THAT (TO QUOTE THE CROATIAN NEWS AGENCY ACCOUNT) THE "CROATIAN GOVERNMENT HAS STATED THAT IT WILL COOPERATE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL FOR WAR CRIMES COMMITTED IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA. WE EXPECT THAT IT WILL DO SO." THE CROATIAN NEWS AGENCY'S SHORT REPORT ALSO QUOTED THE AMBASSADOR AS SAYING: "BLASKIC AND KORDIC WERE INDICTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL, AND ALL COUNTRIES IN THE REGION, IN THIS CASE CROATIA AND BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO ARREST AND EXTRADITE THEM. . . . COOPERATION WITH THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL WILL BE ONE OF THE ELEMENTS THAT WILL DETERMINE OUR RELATIONS WITH THE STATES OF THIS REGION." NOT THE TOP OF THE NEWS -------------- ¶4. MOST NATIONAL DAILIES CARRIED THIS REPORT, THOUGH THEY HARDLY PLAYED IT PROMINENTLY. IT TENDED TO BE A VERY SHORT SIDE BAR TO A LARGER STORY ON THE AMBASSADOR'S REMARKS TO THE MOTHERS OF VUKOVAR. CROATIAN TELEVISION, HOWEVER, TOOK THIS TO ITS LOGICAL EXTREME. ALTHOUGH IT SHOWED A PICTURE OF THE AMBASSADOR ACTUALLY MAKING HIS STATEMENTS ABOUT BLASKIC AND KORDIC ON THE MAIN EVENING NEWS, THE REPORTER'S VOICE-OVER MENTIONED NOT ONE WORD ABOUT THIS PART OF HIS REMARKS, BUT INSTEAD DEVOTED SEVERAL MINUTES TO AN ACCOUNT OF THE STATEMENTS THE AMBASSADOR MADE TO THE MOTHERS ABOUT THE NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE MISSING. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ZAGREB 04592 161635Z ¶5. THIS INTERESTING EXERCISE IN NEWS JUDGMENT WAS ESPECIALLY IRONIC BECAUSE CROATIAN TELEVISION WAS THE FIRST IN THIS COUNTRY TO RECEIVE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF BLASKIC'S NEW POSITION, BEFORE EVEN THE PRESIDENCY ITSELF. THE ANNOUNCEMENT, WHICH WAS PICTURED ON THE NEWS ON THE EVENING OF NOVEMBER 13, HAD BEEN FAXED DIRECTLY FROM DAYTON; APPARENTLY DONE ON AN AMERICAN WORD-PROCESSOR, THE NECESSARY CROATIAN DIACRITICAL MARKINGS HAD BEEN PENCILLED IN BY HAND. SOMEONE HAD OVIOUSLY CHOSEN TO SACRIFICE GOOD FORM FOR GRE AT SPEED. ¶6. SARAJEVO MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. FINN UNCLASSIFIED NNNN