Witness says Tudjman Backed Bosnian Independence
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May 31, 2008, 5:47:25 AM5/31/08
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http://www.iwpr.net/?p=tri&s=f&o=344883&apc_state=henh
ICTY - Tribunal Update
Courtside
Witness says Tudjman Backed Bosnian Independence
Testimony contradicts prosecution claim that late president wanted to
absorb Bosnian territory into Croatia.
By Denis Dzidic in The Hague (TU No 553, 30-May-08)
A defence witness at the trial of former Bosnian Croat leader Jadranko
Prlic said that Croatia's former president Franjo Tudjman was in
favour of an independent Bosnia.
Prlic is on trial at the Hague tribunal, charged alongside Slobodan
Praljak, Bruno Stojic, Milivoj Petkovic, Valentin Coric and Berislav
Pusic with attempting to ethnically cleanse Bosniaks from the wartime
Croatian mini-state of Herceg Bosna in Bosnia.
The indictment states that the accused - along with senior Croatians,
including Tudjman and defence minister Gojko Susak, who are both now
dead - took part in a "joint criminal enterprise" to seize parts of
Bosnia by force and incorporate them into a "greater Croatian
republic".
This week, Zdravko Sanjcevic, the former Croatian ambassador to
Bosnia, was presented with numerous extracts from books written by the
president, as well as transcripts of meetings between him and
representatives of Herceg Bosna, where Tudjman is quoted as saying he
viewed Bosnia as a part of the Croatian "banovina" or province.
However, Sanjcevic said that he had several meetings with Tudjman
where the president gave reasons why Bosnia's independence was
important.
"The first one was that the UN commission had stated that there would
be no border changes after the break up of Eastern European
countries," said the witness.
"His second reason was that at that time Serb forces were in control
of a part of Croatia and he was worried about setting a precedent of
dividing parts of countries.
"Finally, Tudjman told me that if the Croatian parts of Bosnia were
incorporated into Croatia, that would leave a Serb state just 100
kilometres from Zagreb, which he wouldn't accept."
Sanjcevic said he became the first Croatian ambassador to Bosnia in
October 1992.
"I was told by President Tudjman that I had been given the role of
ambassador because I was born in Bosnia and would have respect for the
country as a whole," he said.
However, he did not meet the then president of Bosnia Alija
Izetbegovic till December of that year because Sarajevo was under
siege by Serb forces at the time.
"Izetbegovic told me not to open my embassy in Sarajevo as the Serb
forces 'would destroy it the next day'. Those were his exact words, so
I was forced to find a more peaceful base for the new embassy," he
said.
"Finally, I decided on [the western Bosnian town of] Medjugorje,
because it was a peaceful area, the Croatian border was quite near and
the main humanitarian aid route passed through the town, so it allowed
me to have a lot of information."
When asked about the war in Bosnia and clashes between the Bosnian
army and the Croatian defence council, HVO, the witness denied that
the two forces had ever been at war.
"Yes, there had been clashes between certain groups from both sides,
but only between extremist groups. Most of the population and the
military on both sides cooperated wonderfully throughout this period,"
he said.
To support this, he recalled a visit he made to East Mostar in May
1993 as part of a Croatian-Turkish goodwill mission set up to promote
better relations between Croatia and Bosnia.
Sanjcevic explained that although the mission was supposed to visit
several parts of Bosnia, it was refused access to Bosnian territory by
Arif Pasalic, the commander of the Bosnian Army 4th Corps.
According to the witness, he persuaded Pasalic to let the group visit
East Mostar. However, the mission was warned not to stay long as
Pasalic was about to attack the city.
"Pasalic said he had been given orders to take the entire Hercegovina
region and large parts of the Croatian coast by force. This would have
allowed mujahideen Muslim extremist fighters and military aid from
extremist Islamic countries to come to Bosnia. Naturally, I reported
this conversation to the Croatian authorities and the attack failed,"
said Sanjcevic.
Sanjcevic stressed that this was only "one, extremist view", and added
that most of the Bosnian authorities at that time backed the Vance-
Owen peace plan.
The plan, designed by UN special envoy Cyrus Vance and European
Community representative Lord David Owen, which involved the division
of Bosnia into 10 semi-autonomous regions, ultimately failed because
it did not have Serb backing.
The witness also said that Prlic had a "brilliant mind" and "always
worked hard for the interests of Bosnia".
The trial will continue next week with another witness for Prlic's
defence.
Denis Dzidic is an IWPR-trained reporter in The Hague.
ICTY - Tribunal Update
Courtside
Witness says Tudjman Backed Bosnian Independence
Testimony contradicts prosecution claim that late president wanted to
absorb Bosnian territory into Croatia.
By Denis Dzidic in The Hague (TU No 553, 30-May-08)
A defence witness at the trial of former Bosnian Croat leader Jadranko
Prlic said that Croatia's former president Franjo Tudjman was in
favour of an independent Bosnia.
Prlic is on trial at the Hague tribunal, charged alongside Slobodan
Praljak, Bruno Stojic, Milivoj Petkovic, Valentin Coric and Berislav
Pusic with attempting to ethnically cleanse Bosniaks from the wartime
Croatian mini-state of Herceg Bosna in Bosnia.
The indictment states that the accused - along with senior Croatians,
including Tudjman and defence minister Gojko Susak, who are both now
dead - took part in a "joint criminal enterprise" to seize parts of
Bosnia by force and incorporate them into a "greater Croatian
republic".
This week, Zdravko Sanjcevic, the former Croatian ambassador to
Bosnia, was presented with numerous extracts from books written by the
president, as well as transcripts of meetings between him and
representatives of Herceg Bosna, where Tudjman is quoted as saying he
viewed Bosnia as a part of the Croatian "banovina" or province.
However, Sanjcevic said that he had several meetings with Tudjman
where the president gave reasons why Bosnia's independence was
important.
"The first one was that the UN commission had stated that there would
be no border changes after the break up of Eastern European
countries," said the witness.
"His second reason was that at that time Serb forces were in control
of a part of Croatia and he was worried about setting a precedent of
dividing parts of countries.
"Finally, Tudjman told me that if the Croatian parts of Bosnia were
incorporated into Croatia, that would leave a Serb state just 100
kilometres from Zagreb, which he wouldn't accept."
Sanjcevic said he became the first Croatian ambassador to Bosnia in
October 1992.
"I was told by President Tudjman that I had been given the role of
ambassador because I was born in Bosnia and would have respect for the
country as a whole," he said.
However, he did not meet the then president of Bosnia Alija
Izetbegovic till December of that year because Sarajevo was under
siege by Serb forces at the time.
"Izetbegovic told me not to open my embassy in Sarajevo as the Serb
forces 'would destroy it the next day'. Those were his exact words, so
I was forced to find a more peaceful base for the new embassy," he
said.
"Finally, I decided on [the western Bosnian town of] Medjugorje,
because it was a peaceful area, the Croatian border was quite near and
the main humanitarian aid route passed through the town, so it allowed
me to have a lot of information."
When asked about the war in Bosnia and clashes between the Bosnian
army and the Croatian defence council, HVO, the witness denied that
the two forces had ever been at war.
"Yes, there had been clashes between certain groups from both sides,
but only between extremist groups. Most of the population and the
military on both sides cooperated wonderfully throughout this period,"
he said.
To support this, he recalled a visit he made to East Mostar in May
1993 as part of a Croatian-Turkish goodwill mission set up to promote
better relations between Croatia and Bosnia.
Sanjcevic explained that although the mission was supposed to visit
several parts of Bosnia, it was refused access to Bosnian territory by
Arif Pasalic, the commander of the Bosnian Army 4th Corps.
According to the witness, he persuaded Pasalic to let the group visit
East Mostar. However, the mission was warned not to stay long as
Pasalic was about to attack the city.
"Pasalic said he had been given orders to take the entire Hercegovina
region and large parts of the Croatian coast by force. This would have
allowed mujahideen Muslim extremist fighters and military aid from
extremist Islamic countries to come to Bosnia. Naturally, I reported
this conversation to the Croatian authorities and the attack failed,"
said Sanjcevic.
Sanjcevic stressed that this was only "one, extremist view", and added
that most of the Bosnian authorities at that time backed the Vance-
Owen peace plan.
The plan, designed by UN special envoy Cyrus Vance and European
Community representative Lord David Owen, which involved the division
of Bosnia into 10 semi-autonomous regions, ultimately failed because
it did not have Serb backing.
The witness also said that Prlic had a "brilliant mind" and "always
worked hard for the interests of Bosnia".
The trial will continue next week with another witness for Prlic's
defence.
Denis Dzidic is an IWPR-trained reporter in The Hague.
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