EX-MINISTER: BOSNIAN CROAT
WARTIME LEADER SACKED AFTER VATICAN SIGNAL TO ZAGREB
BBC Monitoring - November 24, 2004
Excerpt from interview with former Croatian foreign minister Mate Granic on
"Sunday at Two" programme broadcast by Croatian TV on 21 November
(Presenter Aleksandar Stankovic) Our guest today is former foreign minister Mate
Granic. (Passage omitted)
It is not well known, in fact it is completely unknown, that (the late)
President (Franjo) Tudjman and you did not reject the demand by the Vatican and
the Pope for the sacking of Mate Boban (Bosnian Croat wartime leader). What can
you tell us about this? You had a meeting with the Holy Father.
(Granic) I met the Pope on a number of occasions. The meeting you mentioned was
the longest and the most important one. The Holy Father did not mention any
names. During the meeting, which lasted 45 minutes, the Holy Father was only
interested in the situation in Bosnia, possible solutions, the position of the
Catholic Church and religious relations. In conclusion, he said that everything
should be done to stop the conflict between the Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian
Muslims). He said that the conflict was affecting overall Islamic-Catholic
relations and that this was our main task and that I should convey this to the
president.
(Stankovic) That is what the Holy Father said. However - (interrupted by Granic)
(Granic) That is what the Holy Father said. He did not mention any names,
absolutely none. The Holy Father attached great importance to the meeting. The
then mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, had to wait 25 minutes for the meeting to
end because it had been extended by the Holy Father. At a lunch organized by our
ambassador to the Vatican during the same visit, I think the dates were 1 and 2
February 1994, Jean-Louis Tauran,the Vatican's foreign minister for many years
and my friend - (interrupted by Stankovic).
(Stankovic) What did Tauran tell you?
(Granic) Why are you still holding on to Boban? Are you aware of how harmful he
is to Croatia and how harmful he is to Croatia's international reputation? He
said many other things and I conveyed them all to the president.
(Stankovic) How did President Tudjman react to the fact that the Vatican was
sending him a direct signal to sack Mate Boban?
(Tudjman) He took it very seriously. He had thought about this before but then
he decided it was time for action and he absolutely accepted it. On 9 February,
Mr Boban stood down at the assembly in Livno.
(Stankovic) So it could be said that the Vatican's demands brought this about
it.
(Granic) Well, it was a suggestion - (interrupted by Stankovic)
(Stankovic) It was the final straw.
(Granic) It was the final straw. (Passage omitted)
Source: HRT1 TV, Zagreb, in Croatian 1300 gmt 21 Nov 04
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