3015B9A6 FIN Page I Of3 a i 1 25 July 95 20 42 Vershbow Alexander R CLASSIFICATION SUBJECT Subject Massacres at SrebrenicW T0 Bass Peter E CiciO Kristen K Emery Mary C 'Hall Wilma G Veit Katherine M Drew Samuel N Gardner Anthony Marshall Betty A Max eld Nancy H Peters Mary A Schmidt John R Vershbow Alexander R For TL and SRB Whatever you think Of Galbraith's recommendation re Zepa the fact OI Serb mass killings at Srebi enica is becoming increasingly clear Grim reading PREC IMMEDIATE CLASS WL JUL 95 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6565 WA ZAGREB 002788 E O 12356 DECL 07 25 00 SUBJECT POSSIBLE MASS EXECUTION OF SREBRENICA MALES IS REASON TO SAVE ZEPA 1 A UN OFFICIAL HAS RECOUNTED To ME AN INTERVIEW SHE CONDUCTED OF A SREBRENICA REFUGEE IN TUZLA THE ACCOUNT WHICH SHE FELT WAS HIGHLY CREDIBLE PROVIDES DISTURBING EVIDENCE THAT THE BOSNIAN SERBS 1 MASSACRED MANY IF NOT MOST OF 5 000 PLUS LA hl l Hm I - 7- A INSINTON LIBRARY PHOTOCOPY I '4 4017 - I - -- 3015B9A6 FIN Page 2 Of3 MILITARY AGE MEN IN THEIR CUSTODY FOLLO WING THE FALL OF SREBRENICA 2 IF THE BOSNIAN SERB ARMY MASSACRED THE DEFENDERS OF SREBRENTCA WE CAN BE SURE A SIMILAR FATE AWAITS MANY OF THE 16 000 PEOPLE IN ZEPA THE LONDON DECLARATION IIVIPLICITLY WRITES OFF ZEPA IN VIEW OF THE NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS OF ATROCITIES IN SREBRENICA AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A MAJOR MASSACRE THERE I URGE RECONSIDERATION OF AIR STRIKES TO HELP ZEPA 3 THE SREBRENICA REFUGEE IS A 35-YEAR-OLD MAN HE FLED SREBRENTCA AS THE SERBS TOOK OVER BUT WAS LATER ROUNDED UP IN A FOREST ALONG WIT-I SEVERAL THOUSAND OTHER REFUGEES AT LEAST OVERNIGHT HE WAS HELD IN A SMALL BUILDING PACKED WITH MEN THROUGH THE NIGHT THE SERBS TOOK OUT MEN IN SMALL GROUPS AND THEY WERE NOT SEEN AGAIN THE REFUGEES WERE TRANSP ORTED IN TRUCKS AND BUSES TO A STADIUM APPARENTLY AT BRATUNAC ALONG THE WAY SERBS FIRED INTO THE TRUCKS AND BUSES APPARENTLY KILLING NUMEROUS REFUGEES 4- AT THE STADIUM GENERAL MLADIC ADDRESSED THE PRIS ONERS TAUNTING THEM THAT HAD BEEN UNABLE TO HELP THEM AND THAT THE MUSLIMS OUGHT TO HAVE STAYED IN YUGOSLAVIA HE THEN ASSURED THE MEN THAT IF THEY WERE COOPERATIVE THEY WOULD BE RETURNED TO THEIR FAMILIES AT THIS STAGE THE MEN WERE BOUND WITH HANDS TIED BEHIND THEIR BACKS 5 FROM THE STADIUM THE MEN WERE TAKEN ON TRUCKS TO KONJBVIC POLJE THEY WERE TAKEN FROM THE TRUCKS MADE TO LIB DOWN AND THEN MACHINE GUNNBD THIS REFUGEE SURVIVBD BECAUSE BULLET GRAZBD HIS - TEMPLE CREATING A VERY BLOODY APPEARANCE BUT DOING LITTLE RBAL DAMAGE AFTER THE SOLDIERS LEFT HE AND ANOTHER MAN WHO ALSO SURVIVED HID IN A DITCH THE SOLDIERS CAME BACK AND BULLDOZED THE BODIES 6 ACCORDING TO THE UN SOURCE THE MAN HAD MARKS ON HIS WRISTS FROM WHERE HIS HANDS HAD BEEN BOUND HE ALSO HAD WOUNDS ON HIS LEGS AND ARMS FROM WHERE 7 THE REFUGEE BELIEVES THAT ALL THE MEN IN THE STADIUM WERE MURDERED IN THIS WAY ALSO MERVIEWED SRE RENTCA REFUGEES 1N TUZLA PLEASE PROTECT TOLD ME THAT ALSO BELIEVES THAT THOUSANDS MAY HAVE DIED TRANSIT TO KONJEVIC POLJB 0R AT THE EXECUTION SITE 301539A6 FIN Page 3 of 3 8 IF THIS ACCOUNT IS ACCURATE THERE MAY BE NO SURVIVORS OF THE MEN ROUNDED UP IN SREBRENICA WE SHOULD REDOUBLE EFFORTS TO SEE THESE MEN IF THE SERBS REFUSE ACCESS THE IMPLICATIONS ARE OBVIOUS 9 AGAIN IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO PREVENT A SIMILAR TRAGEDY AT ZEPA DEFENDERS VALIANTLY CONTINUE TO HOLD ON UNDOUBTEDLY THEY REALIZE THE FATE THAT AWAITS THEM THEY SHOULD NOT BE ABANDONED GALBRAITH rmer LIBRARY PHOTOCOPY I Z I