The first US ambassador to Zagreb, Peter Galbraith, says that America would not have allowed the Croats to carry out "Storm" if Ratko Mladic had not previously ordered Srebrenica.
Galbraith says he is not surprised by the acquittal of Croatian generals Anta Gotovina and Mladen Markac.
"If Ratko Mladić, that brutal butcher, that reckless, crazy killer, if he had not ordered Srebrenica, we would not have allowed the fall of Krajina. We would not have given the green light to the Croats for operation 'Storm'," said Galbraith in an interview for the new issue " Weekly".
When asked why the US supported the Croats in clearing the Krajina of Serbs, Galbraith said that things must be "put into historical context".
"So before us, in front of me, was a difficult choice - will we allow another Srebrenica to happen or allow the Croats to attack Krajina," Galbraith said.
"Less than a month before Krajina, Srebrenica took place. The scale of that massacre became clear to us around July 25, and at the same time, our people on the ground, as well as Croatian officials, convinced me that Mladić and Martić were headed for Bihać.
If Bihać had fallen, it would have been much worse than Srebrenica. So before us, before me, was a difficult choice: will we allow another Srebrenica to happen or allow Croats to attack Krajina," he said.
Gaybreit also said that the then president of Croatia Franjo Tuđman (who has since passed away) would certainly have been sentenced in The Hague for everything that happened during and after the "Storm" and that he would gladly testify at that trial.
"Justice would have reached Tuđman if he had been alive. I am convinced that the Tribunal would have convicted him," he pointed out, stressing that he does not deny that the then president of Croatia knew about crimes against humanity.
"When the Serbs left, Tudjman did everything to prevent them from returning. Many houses were burned, many people were killed, especially the old and infirm," said the former US ambassador.
"If the Croats had not behaved in Krajina the way they did, if they had not committed crimes, killed civilians and burned their houses, perhaps Banjaluka would have fallen as well. They probably would have had our tacit permission to continue with the military action," he said.
Galbraith, in an interview published on the "Nedeljnika" website, pointed out that he remembers well everything that happened during and after the "Storm", especially the day when he climbed onto the Serbian tractor in the refugee column after this action.
Tuđman and Gotovina during the action "Storm"
"If the Croats hadn't behaved in Krajina the way they did, if they hadn't committed crimes, killed civilians and burned their houses, maybe Banjaluka would have fallen. They probably would have had our tacit permission to continue with the military action."
"The day before, I was in Sisak, through which a refugee convoy was passing. It was attacked by a mass of citizens. They threw stones, cursed. There was also a journalist who worked for the AP agency. He wrote everything that happened.
I read that text and it was very difficult for me. In it, among other things, it is described how the car of a Serbian family was stoned. A child was killed in it, the mother held him to her chest, dead," Galbraith said.
"I immediately ran to Tudjman, I told him that in any democratic country the minister would have to be dismissed. I told him that it had to stop immediately. He was angry, and it was as if he didn't listen to me.
Then I told him that I would gather the journalists and head to Petrinja, and that he should think about what would happen if, among the refugees, the American ambassador was also attacked," said Galbraith.
Bonus video:
