Cablegate: Refugees From Velika Kladusa - Slow Progress On

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 003944

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PRM, IO/PHO, EUR/EEA, EUR/SCE

STATE ALSO PASS AID

AID FOR AA/BHR, ENI, BHR/FFP, AND BHR/OFDA/DRD

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM BK HR TU PHUM BK HR TU
SUBJECT: REFUGEES FROM VELIKA KLADUSA - SLOW PROGRESS ON
UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 ZAGREB 03944 01 OF 02 101335Z
ESTABLISHING SAFEGUARDS FOR RETURN

REF: A) ZAGREB 3773, B) ZAGREB 3774

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SUMMARY
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1. TALKS WERE HELD OCTOBER 6-8 BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
B-H, CROATIAN, AND TURKISH GOVERNMENTS TO ESTABLISH THE
FRAMEWORK FOR A TRILATERAL ENTITY THAT WOULD MONITOR THE
RIGHTS OF REFUGEES (ABDIC SUPPORTERS) WHO RETURN FROM
CROATIA TO THE VELIKA KLADUSA AREA. TURKISH DELEGATION
HAS RETURNED TO ANKARA TO SEEK APPROVAL FOR PARTICIPATION
IN SUCH AN EFFORT. SEVERAL DETAILS REMAIN UNSETTLED, BUT
ALL THREE GOVERNMENTS ARE WORKING QUICKLY TO GET THE ISSUE
RESOLVED SO THE REFUGEES CAN RETURN HOME BEFORE WINTER
SETS IN. END SUMMARY.

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TRYING TO BUILD TRUST
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2. IN AN ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE THE 22,000 REFUGEES FROM
VELIKA KLADUSA TO RETURN HOME VOLUNTARILY, THE CROATIAN
GOVERNMENT HAS DEVELOPED FURTHER ITS EARLIER IDEA TO
ESTABLISH A MONITORING FORCE COMPRISED OF POLICE FROM
TURKEY, CROATIA, AND BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA (FROM AN AREA
OUTSIDE OF BIHAC). REPRESENTATIVES OF THE THREE
GOVERNMENTS MET IN CROATIA AND IN VELIKA KLADUSA OCTOBER
6-8 TO WORK OUT THE MODALITIES OF SUCH A MONITORING FORCE.
UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 ZAGREB 03944 01 OF 02 101335Z

3. ACCORDING TO THE PLAN, THE B-H GOVERNMENT WOULD AGREE
TO REMOVE THE V CORPS FROM THE AREA, PROVIDE WRITTEN
GUARANTEES OF THE RIGHTS THAT WILL BE GRANTED TO
RETURNEES, PARTICIPATE IN THE TRILATERAL MONITORING
EFFORT. IT IS THE HOPE OF ALL PARTIES THAT WITH SUCH
PROVISIONS IN PLACE THE REFUGEES WILL VOLUNTARILY RETURN
TO THEIR HOMES.

---------------------------------
RESULTS OF TRILATERAL DISCUSSIONS
---------------------------------

4. ACCORDING TO THE TURKISH EMBASSY IN ZAGREB, THE TALKS
WERE BASICALLY POSITIVE, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NUMEROUS
DETAILS STILL TO BE DECIDED. THE GROUPS DISCUSSED THE
MANDATE, DURATION, AND SIZE OF THE FORCE, AND IT WAS
DECIDED THAT

-- THE PARTICIPANTS WILL ONLY MONITOR; THEY ARE NOT IN A
POSITION TO ENFORCE. VIOLATIONS WOULD BE REPORTED TO THE
B-H GOVERNMENT; ENFORCEMENT AND PROSECUTION WOULD BE THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

-- THE RATIO WILL BE 50 PERCENT BOSNIAN, 25 PERCENT
CROATIAN, AND 25 PERCENT TURKISH.
-- THE TERRITORY TO BE COVERED IS APPROXIMATELY 400 SQUARE
KILOMETERS, INCLUDING VELIKA KLADUSA AND SEVERAL VILLAGES
NEAR CAZIN.

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UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04 ZAGREB 03944 01 OF 02 101335Z
ISSUES STILL PENDING
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5. THE SIZE OF THE FORCE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED, BUT
POSSIBILITIES RANGED FROM 100 TO 200 POLICE OFFICERS. (WE
HAD HEARD ORIGINALLY THAT THE FORCE WOULD CONSIST OF ABOUT
150 INDIVIDUALS.)

6. THE LARGEST UNRESOLVED ISSUE, HOWEVER, IS THE MATTER
OF WRITTEN, ENFORCEABLE RIGHTS FROM THE B-H GOVERNMENT.
THE REFUGEES ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE AMNESTY THAT HAS
BEEN ANNOUNCED BY SARAJEVO. THEY WANT SPECIFIC GUARANTEES
IN WRITING THAT COVER SUCH TOPICS AS NO PROSECUTION FOR
WAR CRIMES, NO CONSCRIPTION INTO THE MILITARY, RETURN OF
ALL PROPERTY THAT HAS BEEN SEIZED BY OTHERS (REFUGEES FROM
BANJA LUKA WHO WERE BUSED INTO THE BIHAC AREA BY THE
CROATIAN GOVERNMENT), EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ETC.

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THE NEED FOR SPEED

UNCLASSIFIED

NNNNPTQ2215

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ2215

PAGE 01 ZAGREB 03944 02 OF 02 101336Z
ACTION PRM-10

INFO LOG-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 CA-02 CIAE-00 OASY-00 DODE-00
ANHR-01 SRPP-00 EUR-01 OIGO-01 HHS-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
IO-00 L-01 ADS-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 DRL-09 /029W
------------------F4B75F 101336Z /38
O 101330Z OCT 95
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7554
INFO AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
USLO SKOPJE
USMISSION GENEVA
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 003944

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PRM, IO/PHO, EUR/EEA, EUR/SCE

STATE ALSO PASS AID

AID FOR AA/BHR, ENI, BHR/FFP, AND BHR/OFDA/DRD

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM BK HR TU PHUM BK HR TU
SUBJECT: REFUGEES FROM VELIKA KLADUSA - SLOW PROGRESS ON
UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 ZAGREB 03944 02 OF 02 101336Z
ESTABLISHING SAFEGUARDS FOR RETURN

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7. THE TWO-PERSON TURKISH DELEGATION (MURAT ADALI, FIRST
SECRETARY AT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN CHARGE OF

SIPDIS
BALKAN AFFAIRS, AND KAMIL TECIROGLU, DEPUTY SECRETARY
GENERAL OF SECURITY AT THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR) HAVE
RETURNED TO ANKARA TO SEEK APPROVAL FOR TURKEY TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE MONITORING EFFORT. BEFORE LEAVING
CROATIA, THEY ASSURED THE OTHER TWO PARTIES THAT THEY WILL
SPEED THE PROCESS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, IN ORDER TO GET THE
MONITORS IN PLACE AND ENCOURAGE THE REFUGEES TO RETURN
BEFORE WINTER SETS IN.

8. THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT IS ESPECIALLY NERVOUS ABOUT
THE POSSIBILITY OF A HUMANITARIAN DISASTER ON ITS HANDS IF
THE UNTENABLE SANITARY CONDITIONS RESULT IN AN EPIDEMIC OR
WINTER WEATHER CAUSES SOME OF THE REFUGEES TO FREEZE TO
DEATH.

9. SARAJEVO MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. GALBRAITH

UNCLASSIFIED

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