Milošević–Tuđman Karađorđevo meeting
The Karađorđevo meeting was an meeting between Croatian President Franjo Tuđman and Serbian President Slobodan Milošević to redistribute Bosnia and Herzegovina between Croatia and Serbia. Serbia wanted all lands where Serbs had a majority, eastern and western Bosnia. Croatian leader Franjo Tuđman also aimed at securing parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina with Croatian majority. Secret discussions between Franjo Tuđman and Slobodan Milošević on the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina were held as early as March 1991 which will be later known as the Karađorđevo agreement. The policies of the Republic of Croatia and its leader Franjo Tuđman towards Bosnia and Herzegovina were never totally transparent and in words of ICTY judgement always included Franjo Tuđman’s ultimate aim of expanding Croatia’s borders. [1]
The meeting was held in Karađorđevo, Vojvodina, Serbia in March, 1991. At the time the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia still existed, (On June 25, 1991 Slovenia would declare independence and fight a brief, Ten-Day War sparking the disintegration of Yugoslavia). The agreement was abandoned when Milošević double-crossed Tuđman by supported the ethnic cleansing of Croats by Serb forces from Eastern Slavonia and the Republic of Serbian Krajina[2].
Dušan Bilandžić, a counselor of Franjo Tuđman who participated at the meating published the book claiming that "the essence of meeting was division of Bosnia and Herzegovina".[3][4][5]
Similar to his court testimony Hrvoje Šarinić, counselor of Franjo Tuđman for foreign affairs, who was present during the negotiations has denied several times the existence of any agreement about the division of the Bosnia and Herzegovina with Milošević.[6][7][8][9]
When Stjepan Mesić became a president of Croatia after the death of Tuđman, he testified in ICTY about Franjo Tuđman's plan to divide Bosnia and Herzegovina between Serbs and Croats. He also revealed Franjo Tuđman's transcripts about his plan which became an evidence in the case against Croat leaders from Bosnia for war crimes committed against Bosniaks. Many other high-ranking Croatian politicians also testified in ICTY confirming the story, such as Ante Marković.[10]
Even some American and British politicians confirmed the story such as Herbert Okun, US veteran diplomat and lord Paddy Ashdown. Herbert Okun was the deputy of Cyrus Vance, UN special envoy to the Balkans. In this capacity, he attended a number of meetings where the division of Bosnia Herzegovina was discussed. As Okun described it, the aspirations of Croatia and Serbia for the annexation of parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina became evident after Tuđman and Milošević met in Karađorđevo in March 1991 and after the meeting of Mate Boban and Radovan Karadžić in May 1992 in Graz. Neither party kept secret their plans for the creation of separate states within Bosnia-Herzegovina and their annexation to Serbia and Croatia at their subsequent meetings with international diplomats. [11]
Graz agreement
The Graz agreement was a pact signed between Serb and Croat leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina Radovan Karadžić and Mate Boban on April 27, 1992 in the town of Graz, Austria during period when Serbian forces controled 70 % of Bosnia. The treaty was meant to limit conflict between Serb and Croat forces and put them closer to annexation of territory under Croat and Serbs control to Croatia and Serbia [12] . The Graz was basically considered Karađorđevo meeting Part II. In between the newly expanded Croatia and Serbia would be a small Bosniak buffer state, the Serbs pejoratively called it "Alija's Pashaluk", after Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović. [13]
References
- ^ "ICTY: Naletilić and Martinović verdict - A. Historical background".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Cross-examination of witness, STJEPAN MESIC" (HTML). ICTY. 18 March 1998. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Jeli (JAZU-)Akademik Dušan Bilandžić postao hrvatski Savo Štrbac?
- ^ Algoritam Multimedia Bookshop [novosti]
- ^ Zamirzine - Dušan Bilandžić: Kameleon Za Sva Vremena
- ^
Croatian language - Robert Bajruši, (2004-01-27). "Trgovinu između Tuđmana i Miloševića spriječila je plitka Neretva" (HTML). nacional. Retrieved 2008-02-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ Croatian language - "Podjela BiH bila je nezaobilazna tema" (HTML). europamagazine. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ Croatian language - 24sata (2007). "Hrvoje Šarinić: "Podjela Bosne i Hercegovine bila je nezaobilazna tema"" (HTML). 24sata. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Croatian language - "Šarinić za Dnevni avaz: Tuđman i Milošević, ali i Izetbegović, razgovarali o podjeli BiH" (HTML). domovinskirat. October, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ HAG/DEN HAAG, 23.10.2003. - MARKOVIĆ OBJAŠNJAVA KAKO JE POČEO - RAT[1]
- ^ THE HAGUE, 02.04.2007. - BH PARTITION PLANS IN FORM OF A STAIN - [2]
- ^ Pessimism Is Overshadowing Hope In Effort to End Yugoslav Fighting
- ^ The Washington Post - Warring Factions Agree on Plan to Divide up Former Yugoslavia [3]
