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6 November 2006

A sends:

Your readers may be interested in the amusing antics of Ivo Pukanic since your publication of ‘Croatian Nationalists furious with Pukanic’ on Cryptome (1st May 2005).

http://cryptome.org/ivo-pukanic.htm

Another classic example of Pukanic’s fantasy journalism was demonstrated four months later in September 2005. Following reports of an explosion at the British Embassy in Zagreb, the very next day the Croatian ‘journalist’ published a 762 word editorial under the headline ‘Embassy bomb was an attack against Croatia.’

According to Pukanic the perpetrator was apparently – a psychopathic political terrorist maniac with a hatred of Croatia - who ‘knew very well’ their actions ‘could create massive damage for Croatia.’ Furthermore, Pukanic, stating he based his conclusions on ‘pure logic,’ revealed that the target was ‘obviously intentionally chosen for the world to think Croatia is not ready for the EU.’

http://www.nacional.hr/articles/view/20539/18/

The reality however, as is often the case with Pukanic’s ‘logic,’ was rather different than he’d have his readers believe. It soon emerged the explosion was actually due to the accidental detonation of a hand-grenade by 28 year old embassy employee Damir Rovisan who had been carrying the weapon for his personal protection.

http://www.bhhrg.org/mediaDetails.asp?ArticleID=547

Embedded in the middle of Pukanic’s fabricated anti-EU entry conspiracy against Croatia is the following peculiar statement: ‘London has received information from its closest allies that they were deceived by stories that the fugitive General stood behind arms smuggling to the IRA,’ referring to Hague detainee Ante Gotovina and attributing their origin elsewhere. Most peculiar indeed as Pukanic first published the allegations. Even stranger he should forget as his publication’s article - ‘MORH protects arms dealers who smuggle weapons to ETA and the IRA’ - cited in a report prepared for the US Library of Congress concerning supposed links between terrorists, drug traffickers, arms dealers and organised crime - was widely disseminated by both the international media and intelligence agencies. To clarify the relevance, MORH is the Croatian Defence Ministry and Gotovina was its former Chief Inspector, until, that is, he was dismissed for allegedly plotting a presidential coup based chiefly on Pukanic’s information.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/WestEurope_NEXUS.pdf

The preface to the Library of Congress report of December 2002, however, indicates the extent of the ‘impartial’ research involved which, it states, ‘relies heavily on reports in periodicals.’ It appears that one particular periodical was more heavy relied on than others. Take for example, the May 2002 report from The Centre for Geo-Political Drug studies of alleged ‘Powerful Criminal Political Networks’ in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina. The report, specifically singling out Croatian military officers, and transparently influenced by Nacional’s writings, also names Gotovina as being ‘suspected of arms trafficking in Croatia’ though fails to explain why and by whom.

http://www.geodrugs.net/gb/minilettre.php3 (No.8 May 2002)

Perhaps it’s all ‘co-incidence’ as Pukanic claims. Like the fact that Nacional’s IRA allegations (of which he now attempts to dissociate) came on the tail of a series of hostile media attacks against Gotovina, and happened to be published in July 2001, precisely when Gotovina’s original indictment was unsealed.

In December 2005, the fugitive general was arrested in Tenerife. Pukanic then outrageously attacked Gotovina’s defence team blaming them for his capture.

In a recent blatantly contrived ‘interview’ purportedly for Apriori Komunicaije, Pukanic discloses he’s a fan of the US Sitcom the ‘West Wing.’ Believed to be penned by his fellow Nacional side-kick Plamenko Cvitic, Pukanic admits ‘there is a lot of trash in the Croatian media.’ ‘We would be in danger if we consciously lied manufactured and insinuated’ he continues, claiming his staff ‘approach every topic unbiased and with maximum professional attention.’ The reader of Nacional ‘is the best informed in Croatia,’ he says.

http://www.apriori.hr/06-07.pdf

A few others within the profession would beg to differ.