"U.S. did not green-light Operation Storm"

The first American ambassador in Croatia says that his country "did not give the go-ahead for Operation Storm".

Izvor: FoNet

Monday, 25.04.2011.

12:37

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The first American ambassador in Croatia says that his country "did not give the go-ahead for Operation Storm". Two generals leading the 1995 Croatian army and police onslaught against the country's ethnic Serb areas were last week found guilty of committing war crimes by the Hague Tribunal. "U.S. did not green-light Operation Storm" Peter Galbraith told Croatia's state broadcaster HRT that "there was no sign" from Washington, and that then Croatian President Franjo Tudjman "interpreted that as approval". Galbraith also stated that the military campaign was "legitimate", and that the guilty verdicts for Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac "surprised him", as he "did not know what evidence they were based on". The former U.S. diplomat went on to say that "Gotovina went to Bosnia after Operation Storm, while the crimes took place later". He was also asked to comment on the "greatest virtues and faults of Tudjman" - whom the Hague Tribal said was at the helm of a joint criminal enterprise set up to forcibly and permanently remove the country's ethnic Serb population. Galbraith said the now deceased former president was "a good strategist, had a good foreign policy team, and was leaning toward the West". As for Tudjman's shortcomings, said the former ambassador, "his violations of human rights prevented Croatia from becoming a part of the West". Furthermore, Tudjman was "authoritative, a person of the 19th century nourishing national ideas of an ethnically homogenized Croatia". Serb civilians being driven out of Croatia in 1995 (file)

"U.S. did not green-light Operation Storm"

Peter Galbraith told Croatia's state broadcaster HRT that "there was no sign" from Washington, and that then Croatian President Franjo Tuđman "interpreted that as approval".

Galbraith also stated that the military campaign was "legitimate", and that the guilty verdicts for Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač "surprised him", as he "did not know what evidence they were based on".

The former U.S. diplomat went on to say that "Gotovina went to Bosnia after Operation Storm, while the crimes took place later".

He was also asked to comment on the "greatest virtues and faults of Tuđman" - whom the Hague Tribal said was at the helm of a joint criminal enterprise set up to forcibly and permanently
remove the country's ethnic Serb population.

Galbraith said the now deceased former president was "a good strategist, had a good foreign policy team, and was leaning toward the West".

As for Tuđman's shortcomings, said the former ambassador, "his violations of human rights prevented Croatia from becoming a part of the West".

Furthermore, Tuđman was "authoritative, a person of the 19th century nourishing national ideas of an ethnically homogenized Croatia".

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