VJESNIK COMMENTARY: "WHOSE TARGET IS/WAS ZAGREB?"

ZAGREB, May 12 (Hina) - The Zagreb daily, Vjesnik, today published a comment piece by Ivkica Bacic headlined "Whose target is/was Zagreb?" on the behaviour of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic after the liberation of Western Slavonia. The article linked Milosevic's behaviour to international interests in South-Eastern Europe. "Geopolitical permission was neccessary for the rocketing of Zagreb and it would be too irresponsible to say that the attack was part of a 'revenge tactic' by the Knin leadership," Bacic says. "In other words, Martic would not have dared shell Zagreb without Milosevic's permission, and Milosevic would not have granted him clearance without the permission of those who had approved his war for a greater Serbia. And this seems to be part of the strategy of the world's leading powers for South-Eastern Europe, which, after initial straying, (...) can be recognized as a wish to forcefully contain the war in Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina. There must be no deviations, especially not sudden ones, from the big powers' scheme, and the Croatian blitz in Western Slavonia can be easily called a deviation", Bacic says. "Therefore it would be quite appropriate to ask: Who in fact chose Zagreb as a target last week? "Wasn't that a 'limited' response to Croatia by those who, having correctly estimated that there were no other 'players' in Serbia, decided to help Milosevic in small doses to to contain the conflict? "Milosevic promised to 'neutralize' Karadzic (and also to tame Martic), and the world powers hurried to (partly) suspend the sanctions. But Milosevic kept none of these promises. "Apart from being a good tactician, he is certain that he can survive politically by prolonging the stand-off in Croatia, as well as in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This, however, suits the international community which has chosen him as its 'player'. "For Croatia and Bosnia this means only one thing - when Slobodan Milosevic gives promises and shouts about peace, he is to be trusted as much as an old whore stammering about chastity," Bacic writes. (hina) jn rm vm 121417 MET may 95