Cablegate: Croatian Press On the Dubrovnik Front,

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
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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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"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DUBROVNIK COMMUNITY AND HAVE WITHDRAWN FROM STRATEGIC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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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

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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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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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