9 January 2005. A. writes:
I take issue with VL's recent posting as to his claim that:"Whilst Dervisbegovic states Gotovina is 'rumoured' to be in Ireland, all available evidence suggests he certainly was (and according to latest assessments quite possibly still is) in Ireland."
There is no evidence whatsover that Gotovina has ever been to Ireland. If possible, could you please ask VL what "evidence" he is referring to?
9 January 2005. Thanks to VL.
Related: http://cryptome.org/croat-heist.htm
ICTY is the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
By VL
In 'Karadzic and Mladic still elude' (Nedim Dervisbegovic, Reuters 12/30/04), General David Leakey made some interesting comments regarding the alleged location of Hague fugitive Croatian General Ante Gotovina.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNewsstoryID=646510
Some ICTY observers are perplexed however as to why the respected international News Agencies avoid the actual facts regarding Gotovina's whereabouts, yet concentrate on pushing the unsubstantiated ICTY prosecution's office claim that he is located in Croatia or Western Hercegovina.
Perhaps what is even more interesting, is why the British government, more than any other, has been blocking Croatian entry into the EU unless the Croatian government captures and hands over Gotovina. Why MI6 launched an elaborate under-cover surveillance operation code-named ‘Cash’ (Gotovina’s surname in English), spied on Croatian citizens under the pretext of hunting Gotovina, and why they have planted misinformation concerning his true location in the media.
http://cryptome.org/mi6-croatia.htm
General Leakey initially states: "(Gotovina) is known both to spend time in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well". Which on inspection is based on unspecified so-called "indications." He then, however, explains the information on which these same indications are based was insufficient and: "not good enough.... otherwise I'd have acted (to arrest him)."
Leakey’s ‘generalised inconclusive comments’ follow a familiar pattern regarding a number of other similar published media reports which claim Gotovina is in the Balkans. And it is no co-incidence.
It would appear the ICTY prosecution office's agenda is not to apprehend Gotovina where he is, or has been, actually located either, but to repeatedly insist he’s in Croatia or Western Hercegovina. The prosecutor’s office has firmly claimed this for some time, yet despite pressurising the Croatian government to arrest him, has provided the exact same unspecified "indications" as Leakey and certain others, which is clearly "not good enough."
To date, the ICTY investigators have provided no reasonable evidence whatsoever to support their assertion that Gotovina is where they say he is. If Gotovina is indeed where the ICTY firmly says he is then why on earth haven’t they given the Croatian government sufficient information of his location in order to arrest him and bring him to trial?
The answer’s simple the ICTY prosecution office is being and has been supplied misinformation chiefly from an MI6 operative who nominally works at The Hague and has previously been exposed in the Croatian media.
Actually, more accurate indications point to the fact that Gotovina is not in Croatia and has not been in Croatia since 2001.
Whilst Dervisbegovic states Gotovina is "rumoured" to be in Ireland, all available evidence suggests he certainly was (and according to latest assessments quite possibly still is) in Ireland. Furthermore, key individuals alleged to be protecting Gotovina (a suspected war criminal with a $5m bounty) and involved in his escape have been identified by numerous intelligence agencies.
The Croatian media announced the possibility of an Irish cover-up in January 2004 http://www.index.hr/clanak.aspx?id=181060, which was never investigated and went unreported outside of Croatia.
Despite Croatian and Italian intelligence reports leaked to their respective press and widespread media publicity in Croatia, Serbia, and to a lesser extent the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland since October 2003 alleging Gotovina is in Ireland and naming his (Irish) collaborators; to date there has not been any police enquiry whatsoever to confirm or deny these allegations.
Also, numerous investigations and enquiries have been conducted in Croatia, from both domestic and foreign police and intelligence agencies, though chiefly MI6, resulting in no single trace indicating Gotovina is there or has been there for years - confirming the official Croatian government position.
More so, why have none of the aforementioned reports concerning Gotovina, published in the Irish and Croatian media been repeated in the press in Britain? If true of course, it would be highly embarrassing for the British government not least for the fact their elaborate undercover MI6 operation in Croatia code-named ‘Cash’- to catch Gotovina completely failed as has all their attempts to penetrate his support network.
Two pertinent questions need to be asked:
Why is Britain involved in this case more than anybody else?
And why is Croatia’s entry to the EU dependent on one man?