This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


           UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01002


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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  01002  01 OF 02  171305Z
VIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSBM;  ISLAMABAD FOR POL/JPOGUE
-
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, MOPS, PREL, PINR, MOPS, HR, War Crimes
SUBJECT:  CROATIAN PRESS ON THE DUBROVNIK FRONT,
TREBINJE AND CROATIAN FORCES IN BOSNIA.

1.  THE JULY 12, 1992 EDITION OF THE ZAGREB DAILY
"VJESNIK" RAN THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE ON THE DUBROVNIK
FRONT.  IT POINTS OUT THE COMPLEXITIES OF THIS BATTLE
GROUND MAKING IT CLEAR THAT IT IS UP TO BOSNIAN
CROATIAN FORCES TO HELP REDUCE THE PRESSURE ON
DUBROVNIK.
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2.  BEGIN TEXT

VIEW OF DUBROVNIK AND ITS SURROUNDINGS FROM THE
ENEMIES' BASES.
TO PREVLAKA ACROSS TREBINJE.
THE CROATIAN ARMY CANNOT CROSS THE TERRITORY OF
BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA FROM WHERE VUCUREVIC'S CANNONS
ARE DESTROYING DUBROVNIK.  HOW TO CUT THE DUBROVNIK
KNOT?

WITHOUT THE COMPLETE MILITARY DEFEAT OF THE ILL-FAMED
SAO-PRESIDENT, TRUCK DRIVER BOZIDAR VUCUREVIC, THE
ENDING OF THE BESTIAL DESTRUCTION OF DUBROVNIK IS OUT
OF THE QUESTION, EVEN LESS THE LIBERATION OF KONAVLI
IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE DUBROVNIK COMMUNITY WHICH
IS UNDER JNA OCCUPATION.  THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY
THE NEWEST ATTACK, WHEN VUCUREVIC'S ARTILLERY OF THE
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PAGE 03        ZAGREB  01002  01 OF 02  171305Z
"HERCEGOVIAN CORPS" FROM THE DIRECTION OF TREBINJE,
TOGETHER WITH THE JNA MARITIME SECTOR FOR BOKA
KOTORSKA, FROM OCCUPIED CILIPI, HAVE DESTROYED
DUBROVNIK.

UNINFORMED PERSONS IMPOSE THE QUESTION WHY THE
CROATIAN ARMY DOES NOT STEP FORWARD ON THE TERRITORY
OF THE NEIGHBORING STATE AND WITH A VIOLENT
COUNTER-ATTACK REPULSE THE ENEMY FURTHER FROM THE
CROATIAN BORDER.  SINCE THE OCCUPYING FORCES HAVE
SUFFERED HEAVY DEFEAT IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE
DUBROVNIK COMMUNITY AND HAVE WITHDRAWN FROM STRATEGIC
POSITIONS NEAR DUBROVNIK, FAVORABLE CONDITIONS HAVE
BEEN CREATED FOR SUCH A RETALIATION.

ON THE OTHER HAND, CROATIA HAS RECOGNIZED B-H AS A
SOVEREIGN AND INDEPENDENT STATE AND ON THAT ACCOUNT
CANNOT DIRECT ITS ARMY ON THAT TERRITORY IN SPITE OF
THE FACT THAT DUBROVNIK IS CONSTANTLY THREATENED FROM
THIS TERRITORY.  SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO, WHICH DID NOT
RECOGNIZE B-H, WOULD BARELY WAIT TO INFORM THE WORLD
ABOUT CROATIAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR ON THE B-H
TERRITORY.  HOW LONG WILL THIS UNBEARABLE SITUATION
FOR THE CITIZENS OF DUBROVNIK LAST AND HOW TO CUT THE
"DUBROVNIK KNOT"?

ACCORDING TO THE PRESENT MILITARY-STRATEGIC
SITUATION, THE CROATIAN ARMY CANNOT WITHOUT A GREAT
RISK UNDERTAKE THE LIBERATION OF KONAVLI.
VUCUREVIC'S CHETNIKS HAVE STRONG FORTIFICATIONS IN
THE VICINITY OF DUBROVNIK AND THEY CAN ATTACK THE
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PAGE 04        ZAGREB  01002  01 OF 02  171305Z
CROATIAN FIGHTERS FROM THE BACK.  IN SUCH A WAY, THE
CROATIAN UNITS WOULD COME BETWEEN TWO ENEMY LAND
FORCES WHICH ARE COVERED BY THE YUGOSLAV NAVY.  THE
NEAREST AND THE MOST DANGEROUS CHETNIK BASE IS IN
GOLUBOVO, ABOVE THE SOURCE OF THE OMBLA RIVER, WHERE


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PAGE 01        ZAGREB  01002  02 OF 02  171305Z
ACTION EUR-01

INFO  LOG-00   AID-01   AMAD-01  CIAE-00  PFIP-01  C-01     DODE-00
      CISA-02  HA-09    H-01     INRE-00  INR-01   IO-19    L-03
      ADS-00   NEA-01   NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   PA-02
      PM-01    PRS-01   P-01     SCT-03   SNP-01   SP-01    SSO-00
      SS-01    TRSE-00  T-01     USIE-00    /056W
                  ------------------3FDD44  171306Z /38
FM AMCONSUL ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1186
INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
AMEMBASSY LISBON
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMCONSUL MUNICH
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY ROME
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
AMEMBASSY VIENNA
USMISSION USNATO
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
USEC BRUSSELS
USMISSION GENEVA

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 01002 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
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PAGE 02        ZAGREB  01002  02 OF 02  171305Z 
VIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSBM;  ISLAMABAD FOR POL/JPOGUE 
- 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MOPS BI HR
SUBJECT:  CROATIAN PRESS ON THE DUBROVNIK FRONT, 
TREBINJE AND CROATIAN FORCES IN BOSNIA. 
 
CANNON FIRE HAS BEEN OPENED AT DUBROVNIK'S SUBURBS 
MOKOSICA AND OTHER PLACES OF THE RIJEKA DUBROVACKA. 
CHETNIKS HAVE FORTIFIED THEMSELVES ON IVANICA AND 
USKOPOLJE, LOCATED AT THE STATE BORDER.  THE LITTORAL 
BELT AT THE EXTREME SOUTH PART OF CROATIA IS VERY 
NARROW AND THE AREA BETWEEN SREBRENO AND MLINI IS NOT 
EVEN THREE KILOMETERS FROM THE COAST TO THE              . 
INTERSTATE BORDER.  AN ATTEMPT BY TREBINJE CHETNIKS 
TO BREAKTHROUGH ACROSS IVANICA COULD BE EASILY 
REPELLED BY THE CROATIAN FORCES WITH THE OPENING OF 
FIRE FROM BRGAT, ZARKOVICA AND DUBAC.  BREAKTHROUGHS 
CAN BE ALSO EXPECTED ACROSS THE VISOCNIK SADDLE, 
LOWER SLOPES OF SNJEZNICA AND THE JAVOR PASS. 
 
STILL THERE IS AN EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FOR THE 
NEUTRALIZATION OF THE PRESSURE FROM TREBINJE.  HVO 
(CROATIAN DEFENSE COUNCIL) FIGHTERS, WHO WITH THEIR 
BREAKTHROUGH TO NEUM HAVE PRACTICALLY LIBERATED THE 
WHOLE TERRITORY OF THE BOSNIAN-HERCEGOVIAN COMMUNITY 
RAVNO, SHOULD NOT CONSIDER THAT THEIR FINAL GOAL HAS 
BEEN ACHIEVED.  THE TREBINJE TRUCK DRIVER WILL NOT BE 
EASILY RECONCILED WITH THE LOSS OF ONE PART OF HIS 
PLANNED DUKEDOM AND THEREFORE HE WILL CONTINUE TO 
ATTACK RAVNO.  THE ONLY WAY TO GIVE A DESERVED 
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PAGE 03        ZAGREB  01002  02 OF 02  171305Z 
LECTURE TO VUCUREVIC FOR ALL HIS COMMITTED CRIMES 
AGAINST THE CROATIAN AND MUSLIM NATIONS, IS A FIRM 
CONTINUATION OF A BREAKTHROUGH UNDERTAKEN BY THE HVO 
TO POPOVO POLJE AND THE LIBERATION OF TREBINJE FROM 
CHETNIKS.  OBJECTIONS OF THE BELGRADE-PODGORICA 
AGGRESSORS CONCERNING CROATIAN COMPLICITY IN THE WAR 
ON THE B-H TERRITORY, HAVE BEEN DROPPED.  INFLUENTIAL 
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL CIRCLES HAVE RECOGNIZED THE 
HVO AS A SPONTANEOUS RESISTANCE OF THE CROATIAN 
NATION IN B-H AGAINST THE SERBIAN MONTENEGRIN 
AGGRESSION.  HVO FORCES HAVE RECOGNIZED B-H AND THEY 
FIGHT FOR THIS STATE IN THE SAME WAY AS THE B-H 
TERRITORIAL DEFENSE WITH WHICH THEY WILL CREATE IN 
THE NEAREST FUTURE A B-H ARMY. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
EINIK 
 
 
 
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