ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - The Croatian military Chief-Of-Staff, Gen. Petar Stipetic, on Thursday issued a statement reacting to articles in the daily press and the latest two issues of "Globus" weekly in connection with Gen. Janko
Bobetko, who recently has been indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague. Stipetic claims that his name is frequently linked to many lies and insinuations.
ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - The Croatian military Chief-Of-Staff, Gen.
Petar Stipetic, on Thursday issued a statement reacting to articles
in the daily press and the latest two issues of "Globus" weekly in
connection with Gen. Janko Bobetko, who recently has been indicted
by the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague. Stipetic claims that his
name is frequently linked to many lies and insinuations. #L#
"In view of properly informing the public, I am obliged to state the
truth about the allegations through which General Bobetko is
pulling me into unnecessary games of politicking, accusing me and
many other Croatian Armed Forces officials of crimes for which he
has been charged by the International Criminal Tribunal at The
Hague," Stipetic says in his statement to the media.
"In his interview with 'Globus' weekly, Bobetko mentions that
General (Mirko) Norac chased me out of Gospic whereto I had been
sent on order by the Supreme Commander to inform him about the
decision on his replacement," Stipetic says.
He adds that the decision on Norac's replacement was not made by
General Antun Tus, as stated in "Globus", but by the Supreme
Commander, the late Franjo Tudjman, and that Norac's replacement as
commander of the 118th Brigade was Dr. Jurkovic.
Stipetic recalls that he informed Norac about the replacement in
Gospic in front of the entire command of the 118th Brigade, asking
him that they return to Zagreb together as President Tudjman wished
to talk with him personally.
According to Stipetic, Norac refused, giving Stipetic a message for
Tudjman: "F... all the Croatian generals with Franjo Tudjman at the
top. The only general for me is (Ustasha) General Max Luburic," and
not Jure Francetic as stated in "Globus".
Stipetic writes that he did not have the task to apprehend Norac as
that was not his job.
Describing his role in the Medak Pocket operation, Stipetic says
that on 15 September 1993 he was called to report immediately to
Bobetko, at the time the military chief-of-staff. Several UNPROFOR
representatives were in Bobetko's office. Bobetko relayed a
decision from Tudjman and ordered that, as a member of Croatia's
permanent delegation for liaison with the UNPROFOR, Stipetic sign
an agreement on the withdrawal of Croatian troops who had been
liberating an area in the Medak Pocket area the previous few days.
"Then General Bobetko tells me, 'General, I would never sign that',
to which I replied, 'I'm a soldier, you are my superior, and I'm
executing your order and the order of the Supreme Commander',"
Stipetic says in his statement. He then describes how he was sent to
Gospic for further contacts with the UNPROFOR.
Stipetic recalls that he and UNPROFOR representatives agreed in
Gospic that the withdrawal take place on 15, 16, and 17 September
1993, as eventually happened. "The claim that I left Gospic without
performing the set task is an incorrect and shameless lie,"
Stipetic states, adding that he returned from Gospic after Croatian
troops had left Medak Pocket and UNPROFOR troops taken the last
check-point they had held before the operation. "I personally
informed General Bobetko about the performed task on 18 September
1993."
As for claims that he and Admiral Domazet should have supervised the
withdrawal, Stipetic says they are incorrect, as his task consisted
of contacts and agreements between UNPROFOR and the Croatian army.
"When I arrived in Gospic on 15 September 1993, everything that had
been going in Medak Pocket was over. My task was not to supervise the
withdrawal but, being a responsible officer, I wanted to see how the
task was being executed in the field. I was prevented from doing so
with a message that, if I went in the field, I would be eliminated,
so I decided against it," Stipetic claims.
"As regards General Bobetko's not having been informed about the
investigation into the Medak Pocket operation, there exists
documentation indicating that the (military) Chief-Of-Staff,
General Bobetko, had been acquainted with a decision by the defence
minister ordering the Military Police to investigate a possible
crime in Medak Pocket and submit a written report. Under said
decision... Bobetko was to appoint a representative to the
Commission for Investigations," Stipetic claims.
"I wish General Bobetko all the best, I wish he may live happily and
long, and as the Croatian Armed Forces Chief-Of-Staff, I shall do
everything in line with my authorities... to help him in the
situation he has found himself in. This has been the truth about all
the imputations, insinuations and lies on my account, whereby I am
putting an end to any further polemic about these issues," Stipetic
says in his statement to the media.
(hina) ha sb