ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - A book "All of My Negotiations with Slobodan Milosevic in Secret (Svi moji tajni pregovori sa Slobodanom Milosevicem)" by the author Hrvoje Sarinic, a former Croatian Prime Minister and President Tudjman's ex
chief-of-staff, was promoted in Zagreb Sheraton hotel on Friday evening. Present at the promotion were many current and former Croatian senior officials, opposition leaders, foreign diplomats, cultural workers and other public figures. Hrvoje Sarinic, a long-time close aide to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, who resigned from all his state and party posts in the end of 1998, used to be the head of the Croatian delegation for talk with Serb rebels and a secret negotiator with leaderships of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) and Bosnian Serbs during the war times. In the book Sarinic wrote, in the fact-oriented manner, about his 13 meetings with the then Serbian President, Sl
ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - A book "All of My Negotiations with Slobodan
Milosevic in Secret (Svi moji tajni pregovori sa Slobodanom
Milosevicem)" by the author Hrvoje Sarinic, a former Croatian Prime
Minister and President Tudjman's ex chief-of-staff, was promoted
in Zagreb Sheraton hotel on Friday evening.
Present at the promotion were many current and former Croatian
senior officials, opposition leaders, foreign diplomats, cultural
workers and other public figures.
Hrvoje Sarinic, a long-time close aide to Croatian President Franjo
Tudjman, who resigned from all his state and party posts in the end
of 1998, used to be the head of the Croatian delegation for talk with
Serb rebels and a secret negotiator with leaderships of Yugoslavia
(Serbia/Montenegro) and Bosnian Serbs during the war times.
In the book Sarinic wrote, in the fact-oriented manner, about his 13
meetings with the then Serbian President, Slobodan Milosevic,
which took a total of 35 hours and were held in secret since November
1993 to September 1995.
The book, edited by a journalist Marko Grcic, has been published by
Globus Internacional within the Europapress Holding company.
At Friday's promotion, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and
Ambassador to the European Union, Baron Janko Vranyczany
Dobrinovic, spoke about Sarinic's contribution to quiet diplomacy
conducted during the creation of the recent Croatian history.
"Sarinic's book is a document of the times in which he discloses
concealed ways of quiet diplomacy," Granic said adding that the
book cast light on the crucial events in the creation of the new
Croatian State.
Granic said Sarinic's secret talks with Milosevic had obtained
valuable information about how much the Serbian regime had
supported rebels in the Knin area (central Croatia) and eastern
Croatia. The information was used for preparations for liberation
operations "Flash" and "Storm" and the Dayton talks and also helped
for predicting further moves by Milosevic, the Minister added.
His quiet missions created, in a special way, possibilities for the
usual diplomacy, particularly in relations with Yugoslavia, and
for activities at international conferences, Granic said
concluding that Sarinic's book was more than useful for better
understanding of the recent Croatian history.
Ambassador Vranyczany Dobrinovic described possible arguments
that Sarinic's book had been published too early and that should had
been written from a greater historical distance as not valid. He
explained that one of key actors from the Croatian side could also
offer his testimony after foreign diplomats Owen, Stoltenberg,
Morillon, Holbrooke and many others had already published their
memories in connection with those events.
Sarinic's book serves as the proof that quiet diplomacy is "an
unavoidable means" in attempts to make compromise in very
complicated situations, said the Croatian Ambassador to the EU.
The aim (of such diplomacy) was to persuade the opposite party to
abandon the use of force, to prevent victims at both sides and reach
desirable results with the minimum yielding to external impact, the
Ambassador explained.
Speaking about the contests of the book, and about the "complex and
enigmatic" person of Milosevic, Vranyczany described Sarinic as
"an adroit negotiator and excellent observer".
The Ambassador added that through the entire book Sarinic
accentuated, in a loyal, grateful and sensitive manner, the
positive historical role of Croatian President in the denouement of
dramatic events to the benefit of his people.
The author, Hrvoje Sarinic, thanked people who came in a high
attendance to the promotion of his book and collaborators in the
writing of the book.
He stressed that he had tried to rely exclusively on facts while
writing this book which was based on 140 cards of notes, made
immediately after talks with Milosevic.
About 70 percent of the book is focused on the Croatian-Serbian
relations, while 30 percent covers relations with Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Sarinic said adding that possible shortcomings of
this work could be found in parts referring to relations with
Bosnia.
Marko Grcic informed the audience that the book contained 64 pages
of valuable photographic and textual documentation including
photos of the Tudjman-Milosevic meetings in Karadjordjevo and
Tikves in 1991, being published for the first time.
He added that the author refrained from disclosing political
elements of those meetings, leaving it for, perhaps, another
occasion.
(hina) ms