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 000927 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KAWC PREL PGOV PHUM PREL PGOV PHUM HR KAWC UNSC ICTY
SUBJECT:  CROATIA/ICTY: DPM GRANIC SHOOTS GOC IN FOOT AS 
BOBETKO ISSUE REFUSES TO FADE 
 
REF:  ZAGREB 867 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.  NOT FOR 
INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY: DEPUTY PM GRANIC'S RASH CRITICISM THIS WEEK OF 
THE ZAGREB DIPLOMATIC CORPS -- INCLUDING THE U.S. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ZAGREB  00927  01 OF 02  280635Z 
AMBASSADOR -- EMBARRASSED THE GOC AND OVERSHADOWED AN 
OTHERWISE SOLID ATTEMPT TO SENSITIZE THE CROATIAN PUBLIC TO 
IMPENDING NEW INDICTMENTS AFTER THE APRIL 16 VISIT OF ICTY 
PROSECUTOR CARLA DEL PONTE TO ZAGREB (REFTEL).  REACTING TO 
PRESS REPORTS THAT ZAGREB DIPLOMATS AGREED WITH DEL PONTE 
THAT GOC COOPERATION WITH ICTY WAS HALF-HEARTED, GRANIC, 
INTER ALIA, CALLED ZAGREB-BASED DIPLOMATS "SUPERFICIALLY 
INFORMED."  GRANIC'S REMARKS DREW UNIFORMLY STINGING 
CRITICISM FROM THE LOCAL MEDIA AS WE AND OTHER MISSIONS 
REFUSED TO COMMENT AND LEFT THE GOC TO STEW IN ITS OWN 
EMBARRASSMENT.  PM RACAN, WHO COUNTS ON GRANIC TO SUPPORT 
THE COALITION AND TO MANAGE THE GOC, EVENTUALLY SAID THAT 
HIS DEPUTY'S VIEWS WERE "PERSONAL" AND DID NOT REFLECT THE 
GOC'S POSITION.  MEANWHILE, ICTY INDICTEE GENERAL JANKO 
BOBETKO CHECKED HIMSELF OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, A POTENTIALLY 
DISTURBING TWIST TO A CASE THAT ONLY TWO WEEKS AGO, THE GOC 
AND THE OTP BOTH BELIEVED WAS CLOSED.  END SUMMARY 
 
FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE 
--------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) IN AN APRIL 22 INTERVIEW TO THE NEWS DAILY "NOVI 
LIST," DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER GORAN GRANIC COMMENTED ON OTP 
CHIEF PROSECUTOR CARLA DEL PONTE'S APRIL 16 VISIT TO 
ZAGREB.  GRANIC REMARKED THAT CROATIA WAS COOPERATING FULLY 
WITH THE ICTY AND COMMITTED THE GOC TO DELIVER TO THE HAGUE 
ANY NEW INDICTEES WITHOUT DELAY.  (CROATIAN MEDIA SOURCES 
SPECULATE THAT DEL PONTE IS SET TO DELIVER UP TO FIVE NEW 
INDICTMENTS AGAINST FORMER CROATIAN OFFICIALS: ADMIRAL 
DAVOR DOMAZET, GENERALS IVAN KORADE AND MLADEN MARKAC, AND 
FORMER PRIME MINISTERS HRVOJE SARINIC AND FRANJO GREGURIC.) 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ZAGREB  00927  01 OF 02  280635Z 
 
¶3.  (SBU) THE INTERVIEW WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR GRANIC'S 
PETULANT REACTION TO THE INTERVIEWER'S REMARK THAT FOREIGN 
DIPLOMATS AGREED WITH DEL PONTE'S ASSESSMENT THAT CROATIA 
ONLY COOPERATED WITH THE ICTY RELUCTANTLY.  GRANIC SAID 
SOME DIPLOMATS "PROVED NOT TO BE UP TO THE MARK," WERE 
SOMETIMES "RIDICULOUS IN THE WAY THEY MADE JUDGMENTS" AND 
MADE STATEMENTS THAT WERE "DOWNRIGHT TRAGIC."  ASKED TO 
NAME THE DIPLOMATS, GRANIC LISTED: "MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH 
EMBASSY, THE U.S. AMBASSADOR, THE FORMER SPANISH 
AMBASSADOR, DUTCH OFFICIALS," AND "OTHER SUPERFICIALLY 
INFORMED DIPLOMATS, INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVES OF SOME 
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN CROATIA." 
 
¶4.  (SBU) GRANIC'S INTERVIEW IGNITED A MEDIA FIRESTORM, 
EVEN AS WE, AND OTHER MISSIONS, BIT OUR TONGUES.  A 
COLUMNIST FOR NOVI LIST EXCORIATED HIM FOR USING A "TONE 
THAT IS NOT TO BE USED EVEN WITH ONE'S OWN STAFF," ADDING 
THAT GRANIC HIMSELF HELPED FOSTER THE IMPRESSION THAT 
CROATIA COOPERATED UNWILLINGLY, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF 
GENERAL BOBETKO.  ANOTHER COMMENTATOR FOR THE SAME PAPER 
SAID GRANIC'S STATEMENTS COULD HAVE BEEN EXPECTED IN IRAQ 
UNDER SADDAM OR IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER THE TALIBAN, BUT NOT 
IN A MODERN EUROPEAN COUNTRY THAT CROATIA ASPIRES TO 
BECOME.  FOCUSING ON THE GOC'S EU ACCESSION DRIVE, ONE 
COMMENTATOR SAID, "WITH ONLY ONE MOVE, GRANIC MANAGED TO 
ANNUL THE ENTIRE POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE THAT WAS PICKING UP IN 
THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS."  A FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR 
FOR THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED DAILY "VJESNIK" NOTED THAT 
GRANIC'S WORDS RECALLED THE ATTITUDE OF THE HDZ GOVERNMENT, 
WHICH VIEWED ZAGREB'S INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES AS 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ZAGREB  00927  01 OF 02  280635Z 
"ENEMIES OF CROATIAN STATEHOOD." 
 
¶5. (SBU) GRANIC, HOWEVER, APPEARS TO HAVE AT LEAST SOME 
SYMPATHIZERS IN THE GOC.  UNNAMED FOREIGN MINISTRY SOURCES 
TOLD "NOVI LIST" THAT GRANIC MIGHT HAVE BEEN UNDIPLOMATIC, 
BUT THAT HE HAD "AT LEAST TOLD THE TRUTH." "AMBASSADORS MAY 
SPEAK LIKE THAT IN SOME BANTU STATE, BUT NOT IN CROATIA, 
WHICH IS A PART OF EUROPE." 
 
WE'RE SORRY (WELL, SORT OF) 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) AT A APRIL 24 PRESS CONFERENCE, PM RACAN SOUGHT 
TO LIMIT DAMAGE, SAYING THAT HE REGRETTED GRANIC'S REMARKS 
AND THAT THEY DID NOT REFLECT THE POLICY OF THE GOC.  AT 
THE SAME TIME, HE SOUGHT TO INSULATE HIS DEPUTY -- AND 
RIGHT HAND MAN -- FROM FURTHER CRITICISM, SAYING THAT 
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT HAD THE RIGHT TO AIR 
THEIR PERSONAL VIEWS, WHICH MIGHT NOT BE, AND OFTEN WERE 
NOT, THOSE OF THE GOVERNMENT.  THERE WAS NO NEED FOR 
FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE ISSUE, RACAN MAINTAINED. 
 
BOBETKO CHECKS OUT: INITIAL GOC AND ICTY REACTIONS 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ6638 
 
PAGE 01        ZAGREB  00927  02 OF 02  280635Z 
ACTION IO-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AMAD-00  ACQ-00   CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00 
      DS-00    EUR-00   FBIE-00  UTED-00  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00 
      LAB-01   VCE-00   NSAE-00  OIC-02   PA-00    SP-00    TEST-00 
      DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-01   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00   SWCI-00 
        /004W 
                  ------------------5BE944  280635Z /38 
R 280625Z APR 03 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0037 
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 000927 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KAWC PREL PGOV PHUM PREL PGOV PHUM HR KAWC UNSC ICTY
SUBJECT:CROATIA/ICTY: DPM GRANIC SHOOTS GOC IN FOOT AS 
BOBETKO ISSUE REFUSES TO FADE 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. (U) AS THE GOC WAS DEALING WITH GRANIC'S GAFFE, ON APRIL 
24 ICTY INDICTEE GENERAL JANKO BOBETKO CHECKED HIMSELF OUT 
OF THE HOSPITAL AND RETURNED HOME, REPORTEDLY AGAINST HIS 
DOCTORS' ORDERS.  RACAN COMMENTED THAT THIS WAS A MATTER 
FOR THE GENERAL, HIS FAMILY AND HIS DOCTORS TO DECIDE, AND 
NOT A SUBJECT FOR POLITICIANS.  "WE CANNOT DENY THE GENERAL 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ZAGREB  00927  02 OF 02  280635Z 
THE RIGHT TO GO HOME," RACAN SAID. 
 
¶8. (SBU) ICTY ZAGREB REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS OSORIO TOLD US 
APRIL 24 THAT THE IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE BEFORE THE GOC IS TO 
ENSURE THAT IT REPORTS THE DEVELOPMENTS IMMEDIATELY TO THE 
ICTY REGISTRAR.  OSORIO COMMENTED THAT THE GOC WOULD HAVE 
TO KEEP THE REGISTRAR AND THE PRESIDING ICTY JUDGE WELL 
INFORMED OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BOBETKO CASE.  IT IS 
POSSIBLE THAT THE JUDGE MIGHT DECIDE THAT BOBETKO'S 
DECISION TO REFUSE HOSPITAL TREATMENT IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH 
A CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCE TO WARRANT REACTIVATING THE ARREST 
ORDER. 
 
MOON 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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