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> US involvement in war crimes against Serbs in Krajina in 1995 > > Croatia: Gotovina Revelations > > Fugitive general threatens to expose US involvement in the reconquest of the > Krajina region six years ago. > > By Dominic Hipkins in Zagreb (BCR No. 288, 16-Oct-01) > > A prominent supporter of Ante Gotovina has revealed the Croatian general > indicted for war crimes will try to embarrass the US if > he is extradited to The Hague for trial. > > "If it comes to an arrest, General Gotovina's defence team will call on > individuals from the United States to testify," said a friend > of the controversial former army commander, Nenad Ivankovic, who is head of > the right-wing organisation HONOS, the > Association for the Protection of the Values of the Homeland War. > > The general's supporters believe the move will reveal the extent of US > involvement in Operation Storm, the Croatian army's > successful campaign against the Serb-held Krajina region in 1995. Washington > has always denied claims that it gave the "green > light" for Croatia to overrun the UN-protected area. > > Several hundred Serb civilians were murdered, or disappeared, in the > aftermath of the operation. Some 200,000 fled to > neighbouring Bosnia and Yugoslavia. An orgy of house-burning left much of > the area a charred wasteland. > > A tribunal indictment made public in July held Gotovina responsible for > these crimes. He promptly went underground. > > Ivankovic, editor of the daily newspaper Vjesnik during the Tudjman era, > claims he was one of the last to see Gotovina and that > the general authorised him to speak on his behalf. > > Apparently sensing that The Hague's net was closing in last spring, Gotovina > took his ally to an old military base near Zadar, in > Dalmatia, to tell him about US intelligence ties with Croatia on the eve of > Operation Storm. > > The base was allegedly used by US operatives to collect military data from > unmanned pilotless aircraft, or drones, which was > then passed on to the Croats. > > "Gotovina told me this was an important base for the US, because it replaced > their operations on Brac [an Adriatic island] after > the [Split-based] Feral Tribune newspaper discovered it," Ivankovic said. > > The author of a bestselling biography about Gotovina, Ivankovic says the > general told him the US knew exactly what the Croats > were up to. "He (Gotovina) feels betrayed by the silence of the US today and > by the people he knew. The CIA saw everything > that happened during Operation Storm, and never objected then," said > Ivankovic. > > He has also produced photographs that suggested the general was working > closely with the Americans in the run up to the > invasion of Krajina. > > One, published in Jutarnji List, shows Gotovina alongside a man identified > as Ivan Sarac, a former deputy defence attache at the > US embassy. Allegedly taken several days before the military campaign, the > pair are shown posing in the Dinaric mountains > above the former rebel stronghold of Knin, with a man in an American army > uniform. > > In other photographic evidence handed to IWPR, Gotovina, wearing translation > earphones, is seen sitting in front of a computer > screen titled "Battle Staff Training Program". Another shot pictures him > underneath a sign stating " Welcome to Training Center > Fort Irwin". > > Gotovina's supporters say two prominent US diplomats, Peter Galbraith and > Richard Holbrooke, should be allowed to testify if > the general eventually stands trial, as they could prove that he fought a > clean war and reveal the extent of American involvement > in the conflict. Gotovina enjoyed close contact with Galbraith, the former > US ambassador to Zagreb, and believes he could > confirm that the general had observed the rules of war during Operation > Storm. > > Holbrooke, the former US Balkans envoy, recorded in his memoirs that he > successfully exerted pressure on Croatian units > inside Bosnia to halt their advance on the Serb stronghold of Banja Luka, in > 1995. Gotovina's supporters say that this would > support their theory that the US played an influential role in the > reconquest of Krajina. > > The former BBC Balkans correspondent-turned British MP, Martin Bell, has > said it is vitally important that witnesses such as > Galbraith and Holbrooke are called in the event of Gotovina being tried. > "The general's liberty is at stake so he should be able to > call on whoever can aid his defence," said Bell. > > Meanwhile, in Croatia, there's widespread criticism of the Gotovina > indictment across the political spectrum, as Operation Storm > is generally viewed here as the victorious finale to a hard-fought > independence struggle. > > Many reject The Hague's assertions, in the indictment, that Gotovina's > forces engaged in ethnic cleansing during the capture of > the Krajina region. "Something like this [ethnic cleansing] cannot be true," > Prime Minister Ivica Racan told a crisis session of > parliament in July. > > There's a widespread view that if Gotovina is prosecuted, the American role > in the campaign should be investigated. "This is > more important than one man's guilt or innocence," said Zvonimir Cicak, > founder of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in > Croatia. > > More details of Gotovina's international connections seem certain to emerge. > And if and when the general faces the Dutch court, > he may not be alone in the dock - American foreign policy in the Balkans > could face cross-examination there, too. > > Dominic Hipkins is a freelance journalist based in Zagreb. > ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
