General Warns Croatia Arms Smugglers

Balkan Insight ^ | May 15, 2008

[joan]

15 May 2008 Zagreb _ Croatia’s former deputy defence minister has threatened to name and shame those who breached the 1990s arms embargo during the Yugoslav wars.

Vladimir Zagorec, who is facing extradition from Austria to the Croatia for embezzling state funds, issued the warning after a court turned down his appeal.

He told a Vienna weekly that he would be forced to give his lawyers documents showing that the purchase of weapons for Croatian forces during the United Nations embargo continued unchecked.

“The violation of the UN embargo doesn’t expire regardless of which country was involved, or if it was neutral or not. I have no qualms about handing over all those documents to the UN in Strasbourg or Geneva,” said Zagorec, who was among Zagreb’s top arms purchaser during the wartime regime under President Franjo Tudjman.

“I’m really sorry if that might cause problems and sanctions for the arms traders. However, if [Croatian] President Stjepan Mesic and his associates want that, they can have it. I am the only one who didn’t violate the embargo,” he claimed.

Although he did not reveal which countries and companies breached the UN arms embargo against Croatia, he said that could be easily worked out.

“You don’t need to be a genius to work out that we had [Austrian] Stayer Mannlicher rifles, German G3 rifles from Heckler and Koch, German ‘Armbrust’, Argentine howitzers, Russian MIG aircraft and MI24 helicopters,” he stated.

The UN slapped an arms embargo on Croatia as it fought the 1991-1995 war against rebel Serbs which had setup their own breakaway mini-republic, defying Zagreb’s secession from Yugoslavia.

There was also concern that weapons sent to Croatian forces could end up in the hands of Croat fighters in neighbouring Bosnia during the 1992-1995 war. Arms embargos were also put on Bosnia and Serbia to limit the alleged atrocities being carried out by all sides during the war, although it has become clear over the years that the restrictions were frequently flouted.

[joan]

Weapons were pouring into Croatia and Bosnia during the UN arms embargo. The Muslim and Croat armies became greatly equipped during the so-called embargo and siege. They ended the war with excessive weapons, some which were sold to the IRA and other terrorist groups.