USA "CLOSELY CONTROLLED" 1995 CROATIAN
ATTACK ON SERB-HELD AREAS - ZAGREB DAILY
BBC Monitoring International Reports - May 16, 2005
Excerpt from report by Serbian independent news agency FoNet
Zagreb, 16 May: The Croatian daily 24 sata possesses documents which prove that
the USA and the then President Bill Clinton closely controlled the military
Operation Storm, conducted by Croatia in 1995, and that they openly issued
orders to the Croatian state leadership.
The documents are transcripts from meetings held by the then Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman with his closest associates on 7 August [1995], during the third
day of Operation Storm.
In addition to Franjo Tudjman, the meeting was attended by the head of his
office, Hrvoje Sarinic, Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Ivic Pasalic in an
advisory role, Croatian Ambassador to the USA Miomir Zuzul, head of the Croatian
Information Service (HIS) Miroslav Tudjman, Defence Minister Gojko Susak and the
then Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader - Croatia's present prime minister.
According to the transcripts, Bill Clinton "advised" Croatia against sending its
units over the Bosnia-Hercegovina border in the direction of Bihac. [Passage
omitted]
The main pieces of "advice" given by the US authorities, i.e. Bill Clinton, were
the following: the operation had to be short and ferocious, it could last no
longer than four days, the exact time of the operation launch had to be
announced and a surprise strategy had to be used. According to the Americans,
the ultimate goal of the operation was to reach the state borders and the number
of civilian casualties had to be kept as low as possible.
"Ivo Sanader's task was to be in contact with the Americans and he confirmed
this at the meeting, pointing out that he was regularly in contact with Robert
Frasure, Clinton's envoy in Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Leon Feurth, Clinton's
national security adviser. Sanader said that he was receiving Clinton's 'advice'
from them and Tudjman accepted it unwillingly," the daily said.
Source: FoNet news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1106 gmt 16 May 05
Copyright 2005 Financial Times Information
All rights reserved
Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
Copyright 2005 BBC Monitoring/BBC
Posted for Fair Use only.