U.S. Policy in Croatia
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns Press Interview during SEECP Summit
Zagreb, Croatia
May 11, 2007
Interview for Croatian Television (HTV)
HTV JOURNALIST: Thank you, Sir, for this opportunity. I would like to ask you about Dayton, you were there, you've been involved in this region for a long period of time. There are calls now for the revision of Dayton, there are some calls for third entity, for the Croatian entity. Do you think that the Dayton Agreement should be revised, if there is any perspective at all for the Croatian entity in Bosnia?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: First of all, thank you very much for this opportunity to be with you today. It's a great pleasure to be here in Zagreb, in Croatia, on this beautiful day. I think that the Dayton has succeeded. Dayton stopped the war in 1995, it has kept the peace now for twelve years. It's been a tremendous success. But it is true there needs to be a modernization of the Constitutional processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I think that the leaders of the country understand that. The United States and the European Union try to be helpful, Secretary Rice invited the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Washington just a year and a half ago, and we are encouraging them to continue to reform. Now, the defense reform, we've seen defense reform which has been so beneficial to the country, and now we have to see the police reform, and I just spoke with Sven Alkalaj, the Bosnian Foreign Minister, who is in Washington. He was our guest last week, we have a very good relationship with him, great respect for him. We'll have Haris Silajdzic coming to Washington as well. And, of course, we are working with the Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Serb leaderships, so the United States has a good relationship with all these people. We know it's not easy to engage in large-scale reform, but if Bosnia and Herzegovina is going to be a modern state, if it's going to seek its place in Europe and with NATO, then it does have to continue this process of reform.
HTV JOURNALIST: What about Republika Srpska? Is it going to vanish as a state, para-state, whatever it is?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: That's not for the United States to decide. That's for the people of a country to decide. But I do think that, given the fact that there are such large reform challenges, I think that's normal, considering the fact that this country grew out of a war. But there has been twelve years of peace. I think that's a great accomplishment.
HTV JOURNALIST: Do you think it's possible to reform the Constitution without abolishing Republika Srpska?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: That's not for the United States, or for anyone in our government, to decide. We can give advice, we can certainly give encouragement. I think the people and the leaders of the country know that they have a lot to do before they can be considered for membership in NATO and the EU. But all of us have good will for the leadership there, and they've done well, and I think the government here in Croatia can play an important role because you have influence. They look towards Croatia for stability. You are a model for what they need to become in many ways. I know that Ambassador Bradtke has spoken to Prime Minister Sanader frequently about this, I have as well, and we'll continue to work with Croatia, and both of us can be of help to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
HTV JOURNALIST: You are certainly aware of the election of Tomislav Nikolic as the Speaker of Parliament in Serbia. It seems that the democratic reform in Serbia is not actually happening, it's wishful thinking. Maybe you are aware of his new statement, that the borders of Serbia are deeply inside of Croatia. Do you think that the international community is also partly to blame because it seems like it is trying to spread the guilt, equal division of the guilt, and, by doing that, it seems like Serbia is not facing what it has done, that is bringing the war first to Slovenia, then to Croatia, then to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally to Kosovo. So, it's not facing what it has done, like Germany did after the Second World War.
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, it is a great disappointment to see the election of Mr. Nikolic, and also a great disappointment to see the prospect of the radicals coming back to a position of power and influence in Belgrade and in Serbia. This is a party that brought about the wars of the 1990s and the outrages, and it would be injurious, deeply injurious to the prospects for Serbia becoming part of Europe if the radicals stay in power. I have not personally seen the statements that he made about Croatia, but I was informed of them by a variety of people here in Zagreb. They are outrageous statements. They won't be supported by anyone in the international community. Of course, all of us recognize and respect and support Croatia and its current borders, and we called upon the government of Serbia not to let the radicals come back. I did have a conversation with Prime Minister Kostunica yesterday, where I told him very clearly, as have many of the European leaders, that if the radicals come back, I think it puts everything into question about our relationship with Serbia.
HTV JOURNALIST: What about the position of the international community regarding sharing of guilt, you are not going to comment on this?
UNDERSECRETARY BURNS: I think the international community has done well by this region. We came here in 1995, the United States, and we stopped the war in Bosnia, and, of course, the Dayton peace process led the way towards the long-term peace that I've described. And we stopped Milosevic in Kosovo in the spring of 1999, and we've kept the peace there. We've had thousands of American soldiers in Kosovo and in Bosnia for a decade, so I think we've been a good friend of this region. I am here today because I want to support the Croatian government, as well as the countries of Southeast Europe and this new regional council is being formed as a successor to the Stability Pact. I think there is reason all of us should be proud, for you to be proud, of what has been accomplished here. And for us, as your friends, to continue to support you.
HTV JOURNALIST: I think we cooperated, Croatia and the U.S., particularly in 1995, regarding solving the crisis and preparing the Dayton Agreement, I'm sure you would agree with me. And, today, we see General Gotovina in The Hague, and we see Mladic is not there, Karadzic is not there. So, this is why I'm asking that particular question.
UNDERSECRETARY BURNS: I would just say respectfully that it's the responsibility of the Serb government to arrest Mladic. They surely know where he is. And to find Karadzic. And to send them to The Hague. To put them on trial for war crimes. Of course I know about the sensitivities here, what happened during the war, in Vukovar and other places, but this is the responsibility of the government of Serbia and the government of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They can find these people. And there won't be a normal relationship with them until they do find them and send them to The Hague.
HTV JOURNALIST: Politically, in my opinion, this problem has to do with the public (inaudible), with the elections, with everything. But you were engaged in Croatia and the region in 1995. How would you evaluate the work of General Gotovina at that time? Remember this period?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I give credit to the government of Croatia for having found him and then for having sent him to trial at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. This was a very important and welcome move by the government of Croatia. We agree, I agree with the thrust of your question that people have to be held responsible for the crimes that occurred here, in this region, during the 1990s. That is elementary. My country has been a very strong supporter of that, and, as you know, we've said that to Serbia, that there will be no way for Serbia to come into NATO fully until this question is addressed, and it's a serious commitment.
HTV JOURNALIST: You met with Kosovo Prime Minister Ceku last evening, and there are indications that, if there is a veto by Russians in the Security Council, the United States is going to unilaterally recognize Kosovo according to the Ahtisaari plan. Do you think that in that case there will be shots fired again, or what will happen if Russia gets involved?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: We strongly support the independence of Kosovo. We support the Ahtisaari plan. We've been a very good friend of Kosovo and the Kosovo people, since the war in 1999. Prime Minister Ceku just spent several days in the United States, I know him very well, I've met him many, many times, I saw him here in Zagreb. We are going to be introducing in the Security Council today a resolution for the independence of Kosovo. The United States and Europe are going to present this resolution together, we believe we have a strong, a majority of countries already in the Council to support it, I think we'll pick up more support in the coming week or two, and I believe that this resolution can succeed, and that by the end of this month, we'll have a positive vote in the Security Council that will prepare the way for the independence of Kosovo. The Kosovo people will then declare their own independence, they will be recognized immediately by the United States and by many other countries, including most countries here in Europe. This is a historic time, it's after eight years the people of Kosovo will finally become independent, with the strong support of the United States.
HTV JOURNALIST: My last question is concerning President Bush's visit to Croatia. It's now confirmed that it will not happen. A source from your administration told me last year that the U.S. administration was disappointed after the election of President Mesic and the shift of power in 2000, because that helped President Mesic get into power, and afterwards he turned into one of the most vocal critics of President Bush and his administration in the world. Would you comment on that?
UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I would just remind you that the United States is a very good friend of Croatia. I was with Ambassador Bradtke in the Oval Office last autumn, when Prime Minister Sanader visited President Bush, they had an excellent meeting, they are friends, and, of course, the United States, President Bush announced that the United States would support Croatia for NATO membership. I think we are the leading supporter of Croatia for NATO. President Bush will be coming to Europe for the G-8 Summit, and then subsequently will be visiting some other countries, but we have singled out Croatia for friendship, will be supporting Croatia, Croatia will become a member of NATO, we hope even before it becomes a member of the European Union because it will have strong support of the United States. We have an excellent relationship, we have good commercial relations, we are friends politically, I'm here to express the support of our government for Croatia, so there is no problem between us. On the contrary, I think the relationship we have with Croatia is probably the strongest relationship we have in the entire region with any government. We are pleased about this friendship. I know that the Prime Minister and President Mesic feel this friendship with the United States and it will continue.
HTV JOURNALIST: Thank you very much for this interview.