Serbs in America are suing the MPRI for participating in the genocide and persecution of 200.000 Serbs from Krajina, and the lawsuit states that this agency trained the Croatian army that carried out Operation "Storm" and that it directly participated in that operation, writes "Slobodna Dalmacija". .
Along with the lawsuit, a contract between MPRI and Croatia on the training of Croatian officers and soldiers was submitted to the court.
Judge Ruben Castillo from the federal court in Chicago declared the state of Illinois competent for the trial, given that MPRI has its branches and operations in that state, and the Serbs from Croatia who filed the lawsuit live in Chicago, Milwaukee, Rockford and surrounding areas.
According to the representative of the MPRI, the court has declared itself competent and this only means that the proceedings will be conducted, but that the lawsuit filed by the Serbs from the former Krajina has no serious basis.
The newspaper writes that the representative in question worked in the company's office in BiH in the 90s, but that he wanted to remain unnamed because he is not authorized to speak publicly on its behalf.
Serbian organizations stated in the lawsuit that they are demanding 10 billion dollars from the MPRI, or 25.000 for each of the 200.000 Serb refugees, claiming that the MPRI trained HV officers to carry out the "Storm", and is therefore equally responsible for ethnic cleansing, arson and killings on that area.
"MPRI is not a secret organization, nor does it do dirty work for the American government, as stated by some Serbian media. MPRI globally provides a wide range of services in military matters, both to private and public entities," their representative points out, however.
One of the largest users of MPRI services is the US Department of Defense.
The company, which was founded in 1987 and headed by retired American officers, has 25 headquarters in different federal states in the USA and cooperates with over 40 countries around the world, with main offices in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Iraq, Korea and Kuwait.
The interlocutor of "Slobodna Dalmacija" admits that the MPRI cooperated with the HV in 1994, but does not see this as a violation of the UN embargo on arming Croatia.
"We do not arm, our mission is training through the process of integrated training, with the aim of teaching users how to organize logistical support, how to select personnel for their military missions, we also provide intellectual service with the aim of developing full awareness of the military sector about its role in the democratic society, about the mechanisms of democratic control of the army and the like," the MPRI representative points out.
He considers the fact that the Federal Court in Chicago declared itself competent for the case of the claim of the Serbs against the MPRI to be a normal judicial procedure, but he considers the claim a failure and sees in it "an organized attempt to easily make money using a war event".
"It's ridiculous to blame one company for an action like 'Storm'," said the representative, adding:
"On the eve of the Storm, Ante Gotovina visited the training center in the American Fort Irvine and after that he toured Mount Dinara in the company of two American attachés. Tudjman received the green light from Bill Clinton to start the action. So, these things took place at the highest peak." , said the MPRI representative.
He says that the company cannot be held responsible if its partners, who cooperate with the public and private sector around the world, violate any national or international legal norms by their actions.
"In Croatia, according to the contract with the MPRI, Major General Richard Griffith conducted the training, and the training was related to the topic of national security and the defense of the transition society as it was in Croatia at the time. If later there were violations of international norms of warfare, i.e. expulsion and destruction, MPRI cannot be blamed for that", believes the representative of this company.
He adds that the company cannot read the thoughts and intentions of its partners with whom it cooperates.
Bonus video:
