Posted on 03/13/2005 1:52:16 PM PST by Lukasz
Barring a last-minute breakthrough, Croatia faces being told it cannot start EU membership talks this week as planned, because it is not fully cooperating in finding a fugitive war crimes suspect, diplomats say.
Croatia, hoping to be the second former Yugoslav republic to join the European Union as early as 2007, was told in December that it could in theory start talks with Brussels on March 17 -- this Thursday.
But that green light was conditional in providing "full cooperation" with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in a manhunt for fugitive general Ante Gotovina.
And the Hague-based court's chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte -- whose views will provide an important input to the decision to be made by EU foreign ministers on Wednesday -- has made it clear she does not believe Croatia's repeated protestations that it does not know whether Gotovina is.
"Despite all public and private assurances from Zagreb, Ante Gotovina remains within reach of the Croatian authorities," she said in a letter to the EU's Luxembourg presidency last week.
Gotovina, a 48-year-old retired general, is considered a war hero by many Croatians but is wanted by the UN war crimes court for the alleged murder of at least 150 ethnic Serbs during the final stages of Croatia's 1991-95 war. He is also accused of plundering Serbs' property during the war, during which Serb rebels opposed Croatia's breakaway from the former Yugoslavia.
Croatia leaders including President Stipe Mesic have travelled to Brussels in the last week to lobby the EU, stressing that they are already doing everything they can. In the increasingly tense diplomatic standoff, much has been made of the exact meaning of "full cooperation" by Zagreb with the ICTY.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said last week that he could foresee a green light to start talks even if Gotovina is not actually handed to The Hague. But any hopes generated in Zagreb by those comments were deflated later in the week when a "large majority" of EU states, in talks among high-level diplomats in Brussels, came out against starting talks as planned. Only a small group of countries -- Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia's fellow ex-Yugoslav republic Slovenia -- back Croatia's bid. Under EU rules, a decision to start membership talks needs unanimous backing from all EU states.
Croatia, whose EU credentials have been boosted notably by a huge influx of European holidaymakers and second home owners in recent years, has warned that its EU entry is crucial in a still-fragile Balkan region.
Neighbouring Slovenia -- among 10 mostly ex-communist countries which joined the EU last year -- backs that argument. It notes that a poll this month showed that almost half of Croatians do not believe they will benefit from EU entry.
"It could change the political mood in Croatia and have negative effects on Slovenia and the neighbouring countries," Slovenia's Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Friday.
The EU states' ambassadors will meet again in Brussels on Tuesday to prepare for the ministerial talks. Diplomats say they will agree a framework for the negotiations as a "sign of encouragement" to Zagreb. But unless Gotovina -- whose supposed whereabouts in recent weeks has included everywhere from France to Patagonia -- makes a sudden reappearance, Zagreb will have to put its EU hopes on ice.
"Miracles exist, but it is very unlikely at the current time that negotiations will start" on March 17, said one Brussels diplomat.
The blood is just as red if it's Bosnian Serbs or Serbs from Serbia proper doing the killing. Same goes for Croats from Lika or Bosna, what's the difference? You're picking gnat shit out of pepper with that one.
Something tells me you knew that already.
These guys would go home without knowing who's on pass or leave and they're also well-versed in their opponents'-that's more than one-military doctrine? Were they smart idiots?
You are a big liar or an incredible ignoramus. Have you ever heard of the Croat-Muslim war which was at its height in 1993 in large areas of Bosnia? A Croatian site reports that the Muslims used heavy weapons on them starting in October 1992. Here is a few examples of their fighting and ethnic cleansing of each other:
The Croat-Muslim War: A ChronologyOctober 1992
At the beginning of the October of 1992 the skirmishes started between Croatians and Muslims in the municipality of Novi Travnik, in the villages of Senkovci, Sinokos and Donje Pecine, Opara, as well as in the city. In attack on the villages, Muslims have targeted the commander of HVO in Jajce, Stjepan Blazevic and President of HVO in Jajce, Nikola Bilic. Fifteen HVO solders have been killed in the Muslim attack. That was the first occasion that Muslims used heavy artillery against their Croatian neighbors. Muslims have attacked the HVO command post and destroyed the HVO Field Hospital in Travnik. They set two buildings, almost exclusively inhabited by Croats, on fire. One of the obvious targets of the attack was the gas station in the city, and after they failed to take it, they set it on fire as well. As a result of the attack the city has been divided, the northern part of the city being controlled by Muslims while the southern part came under Croat control. In these attacks eight HVO soldiers have been killed and sixteen were injured. The Muslim casualties included thirty-seven injured, that have had been transported to Bugojno's hospital while the number of killed was not known.
April 16th , 1993
At 8 am, the members of B&H Army under the command of Zulfikar Ali Spaga called "Zuka", Hasan Hakalovic and Sejdo Padalovic, have started the attack on the civilian Croat population of village of Trusina from the directions of villages of Bare, Kljesi, Osoric and Sahici. After the artillery barrage, about fifty members of the Muslim forces (majority were wearing black uniforms and black pieces of cloth striped around their heads and arms) entered the village. They massacred sixteen Croat civilians and six captured HVO soldiers. The Croat civilians have been executed at the very spot where they have been caught (in their houses, barns, fields). The Croat soldiers surrendered after the Muslim soldiers threatened them with the execution of their captured wives. Immediately after the surrender, the Muslim soldiers executed them.
June 10th, 1993
In the town of Vitez, around 8:45 p.m., one single shell was fired from the area under the control of Muslim Army. It landed two meters from the bench that was the meeting point of the local kids, Croat as well as Muslim. That day, there were no Muslim children around. It has been theorized that their parents were notified about the impending attack, and that the projectile was navigated.Five Croat children were killed on the spot, while three more died in the hospital.
June 15th, 1993
The Parish of Kraljeva Sutjeska, containing of 26 villages, is virtually wiped out from the face of the earth by the attacking Muslim and Mujahedin forces. Everything that was Croat (Christian) was pillaged, set on fire or vandalized. In the early morning of June 13th 1993, around 10,000 Muslim soldiers attacked in the well-planed operation with overwhelming force the Croat defensive lines of town of Kakanj. After the Muslim attack, which successfully pierced the Croat lines, 15,000 Croat civilians and defenders have started their withdrawal towards town of Vares, still a free town in Central Bosnia. Under the heavy shelling and sniper fire, in columns over 10 kilometers long (cca. 6 miles) children, elderly, sick and injured reached the town of Vares. The locals helped them find the shelter in the factories, restaurants, and private homes.
October 1st - 5th, 1993
"…Using the absence of the HVO forces that were helping the evacuation of 6,000 ethnically cleansed Croats from the town of Kakanj, Muslim Army started with the coordinated attack on the municipality and city of Vares. Muslims were targeting only Croat villages that were already fully encircled, deprived of any humanitarian help, cutting the communications and using the civilians as "live shields….". The consequences of the attack were catastrophic for the Croats residing in Vares. 10,000 Croats from Vares and around 10,000 Croats from the area of Kakanj ultimately were expelled from Vares. During the Croat-Muslim war cca. 50,000 Bosnian Muslims have been expelled from the area under HVO control, while the number of Croats ethnically cleansed from the Bosnian Muslim Army held territories is around 150,000.
Let me put it this way. When Croatian Army invades Bosnia and kill Bosnian Serbs in Sijekovci village this is international conflict.
When Bosnian Croats kill Bosnian Serbs it is civil war.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.