CONTROVERSIAL PARTS OF THE CROATIAN BORDER

AIM Zagreb, 19 January, 1998

"We finally have full state sovereignty on the entire state territory", said Croatian president Franjo Tudjman in the light of luxurious fireworks convened above Zagreb on 15 January on the occasion of celebration of the end of the UNTAES mandate in the so-called Croatian Danube river valley (Podunavlje). The very next day, at the ceremony of the award of medals for contribution and charters in gratitude for the help in peaceful reintegration to numerous domestic and foreign meritorious persons, president Tudjman established once again that "by surrendering Podunavlje into the hands of the official representatives of Croatian authorities, the aggression against the Republic of Croatia and occupation of the last part of its territory has finally been completed". Therefore, it was once again, at the official ceremony, confirmed what the media had claimed for days, that in Croatia "there is not a single region where Croatian laws are not enforced". Perhaps in order to prevent anyone from finding a trace of doubt in such allegetaions, secretary general of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) Ivan Valent, claimed on Saturday, 17 January, with assurance and self-confidence, that "for the first time in 900 years of history, there is not a single foreign soldier on the territory of Croatia".

    For such an allegation it was very convenient for him

that Croatian ministry of internal affairs had issued an official confirmation that "two persons, citizens of the Republic of Slovenia, were found 60 metres inside Croatian territory with a vehicle in which there was a large number of devices for electronic reconnaissance and anti-electronic action". Statement of the ministry of the interior about the arrest of two Slovenians seems to have confirmed sovereignty of Croatia and integrity of its borders even if they were just Slovenians. The fact that the ministry reacted only after Croatian media had carried what the Slovenian press had written obviously did not concern anyone. Because, as the official politics says, "relations with Slovenia are improving". Nevertheless, in the relations with Slovenia is the first among a few denials of allegations on "final sovereignty of Croatia on its entire territory". As Croatian ambassador in Ljubljana, Ivica Mastruko, says, there are three significant problems in relations of the two countries, one of which is the contract on the borders.

Indeed, despite "improving relations", the border between the two states has not been established yet. And not only that, but there is also the fact that members of the Slovenian army are on Croatian territory. The first problem in inter-state demarcation is the question of the Piran bay. The two states cannot seem to be able to reach an agreement where the border line should pass, and Slovenia has desperately tried to move it further to the south on Croatian territory, in order to have free access to the Adriatic Sea. As Croatia does not wish to give up "even a foot of Croatian land", even it were the sea, the problem will most probably be resolved by international arbitration. The second problem is in the central part of the inland border. The official Croatian leadership has not even mentioned it in the past few days as an inter-state problem, but that does not mean that it does not exist and that it cannot complicate the already estranged relations between the two countries.

At 1178 m high and strategically important elevation of the peak of Zumberacka gora there is a military communication installation constructed by the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), where the Slovenian army is located since autumn 1991. They have come there on the basis of the agreement of the then ministers of defence of two states, Janez Jansa and Martin Spegelj, but it still does not intend to withdraw from there, although the peak called Sveta Gera is listed in the land register of Croatia. Although it was several times mentioned in Croatian public that Croatia demanded from Slovenia to withdraw its soldiers, nothing has changed. Slovenian soldiers have remained where they have been in the past seven years. They are not called occupiers by the Croatian public, as UN observers on the territory of Prevlaka are labelled in Croatian media. Despite that, it is a fact that Croatia in that part of its territory still has not established its sovereignty and that Croatian laws are still not enforced here. It is equally obvious that resolution of that issue will be tedious and accompanied by powerful tensions between the two states, the relations of which are already, along with "resolution of the Serb question" gradually coming up on the surface.

Since it is clear that non-Croatian forces are on Prevlaka, moreover with the unwilling approval of Croatia, it is clear that this is also a part of its territory which is not under sovereign control of Zagreb and that there are still foreign soldiers over there, who are officially called the "observers". Regardless of the fact that Croatia has several times established that this was its territory, and regardless even of the fact that this was confirmed in a few significant international documents, it is obvious that "games" are played about that bordering region, constantly calling into question the fate of the narrow piece of land which closes the entrance into the Boka Kotorska Bay. Therefore, according to the principle, "nothing can catch us by surprise", aware that after all anything is possible, in Zagreb they are striving to use every opportunity to confirm where Prevlaka belongs. That is why Croatian ambassador in the UN, Ivan Simonovic, while commenting on prolongation of the UN mandate in Prevlaka, declared that a secure solution for the region of Prevlaka could be achieved as soon as Belgrade started to respect integrity of Croatian borders, adding that Croatia was encouraged by indications according to which the Montenegrin government could soon become more cooperative, which could lead to opening of an international border crossing in the region of Prevlaka - on Debeli Brijeg. Of course, careful analysts did not miss that Simionovic said that the Security Council had to make it quite clear that Prevlaka was a part of the Republic of Croatia.

The problem of Prevlaka is complicated by Croatian internal policy and numerous projects of Zagreb, among which is the one about exchange of the territory for Dubrovnik hinterland. The idea was justified by creation of a safety zone which would prevent attacks on Dubrovnik, although such an explanation was unconvincing. It should have been easy because Croatian forces are already in that "hinterland", so that the transanction should have been a pure formality. Many other stories came out in the open, among which the one about the corridor through wich the Republic of Srpska would gain access to the sea near Molunat caused the greatest turmoil. It all caused vehement reactions. Among them was the letter of Tereza Kesovija, famous singer from Dubrovnik, addressed directly to president Tudjman, who was forced under such pressure to publicly declare that there would be no trading with state territory. Nevertheless, there are too many indications in favour of the opposite, and therefore doubts remained. That is why Croatia welcomed the demand from Herceg Novi to have the border crossing on Debeli Brijeg opened. Of course, the Croatian party says that this is exclusively in the interest of Montenegro, although it is clear that the interest is mutual. "When speaking of Prevlaka, it is a question of security for us, and for FRY it's an unresolved question of its territory. However, Montenegro has also started to demand that this question finally be resolved and the border crossing on Debeli Brijeg opened", says Croatian foreign minister Mate Granic, adding that an attempt will be made to have the question of Prevlaka resolved in 1998. He even offered a proposal for the solution. "We are ready for bilateral demilitarization and to ensure free passage to Boka Kotorska bay pursuant international law, but we are not ready to question in any way the territorial integrity of the Republic of Croatia in the region of Prevlaka", stresses Granic.

Granic's diplomatic approach was supplemented by the unofficial interpreter of the policy of Croatian state leadership - the daily Vjesnik. In an article titled: "Until When With UN at the Border?", concerning departure of UNTAES, the journal writes that "after 15 January preconditions will be created to act more resolutely concering Prevlaka, especially because political circumstances in Montenegro have changed". It is stressed that "the model of resolution can be only according to the principle of mutual demilitarization of this space both from the Croatian and the Yugoslav side", but noting that "if Belgrade refuses as it did in the case of Podunavlje, complications are possible in that region". The daily concludes in the end that "things will become crystal clear in the next six months".

Howeverm, even when things concerning Prevlaka "become crystal clear", Croatia will still have one problem with its territory left. Since it concerns the Serbs again, this problem is even more unpleasant in view of the fact that in the past few days it was claimed that there were no more such problems with the Serbs. Judging by the media and the slogan - that things which have not been noted by newspapers have not happened, this problem would not exist at all. The place concerned is Croatian Kostajnica. This town divided into two by the Una river is nowadays divided between two states. Its inhabitants warned about it in the end of December, expecting that along with Croatian Podunavlje, the part of the town on the right bank of the Una river controlled by the Serbs, would also be reintegrated into Croatia. It is a territory of about 30 hectares where the sports and business complex is located and the ancient Zrinski town - a historical site which has been incorporated in the coat of arms of the town. Ever since operation "Storm", citizens of Kostajnica have been demanding that the problem of the occupied part of the town be resolved, where, among other, construction of customs and other facilities is planned, but their requests have remained unanswered.

The fact that border problems are passed over in silence and the truth distorted about Croatia not having established state sovereignty on its entire territory, as well as the fact that the last foreign soldier has not left Croatia, shows that on 15 January Croatia did not celebrate the fact that its state sovereignty has been established on its entire territory, but in fact resolution of the "Serb issue" which has been reduced to the region of Podunavlje. Because the border with FR Yugoslavia over there has in fact been unquestionable for a long time. With certain controversies concerning the Danube curves, the Croatian flag waved on border crossings long before 15 January. This means that everything that is still questionable in the cases of Piran bay, Sveta Gera, Prevlaka and Croatian Kostajnica, has been resolved there. At the same time, euphoria in which it remains concealed that Croatia is not whole yet, strongly resembles the already seen preparations for election campaigns, and since there will be elections in the HDZ soon, it would be no surprise if the ruling party, which is on the descending path, used the current passions and tried to win power once again.

PERO JURISIN