For the project of creating a West Balkan structure of some kind, Serb transgressions are routinely overlooked
letters and articles

 

Articles 11-14 of the SAA ... will assist arms dealers, illegal immigration rackets, terrorists, vice gangs and any other organised crime racket you can think of
The Albanian president called for "free movement of people". Given Croatia's far superior economy to the other SAA states, the movement of people will be a strictly one way process

BOOM TIME FOR ARMS DEALERS AND THE 'BALKAN MAFIA'?

by Brian Gallagher

Hrvatski Vjesnik (Australia) - The New Generation English Supplement

6 December 2002

 

The Serb arms for Iraq scandal and a Balkan crime conference in London have revealed the ongoing failure of international policy in the South East Europe region, especially in regard to Croatia. Dogmatic regional policies based on apparent nostalgia for the former Yugoslavia have not only been an abject failure, but could in fact pave the way for criminal activity and further security concerns for the international community. A rethink is required.

The Serbian firms Orao in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Yugoimport in Serbia have been doing business with Iraq; supplying Iraq with weapons in what appears to be an extensive trade. Furthermore, there are concerns that information provided by the Yugoslav military on the NATO Kosovo campaign has assisted the Iraqi military in dealing with US and British aircraft enforcing the no-fly zone. General Wesley Clark, the commander of the Kosovo campaign has expressed particular concern over this.

He is right to be concerned; for Serbia can still do damage. NATO currently has a regional policy for the "Balkans" as outlined by Lord Robertson in his speech on 24 June. Unbeknownst to many, Serbia has a key role in formulating this policy by being a full member of NATO's two key policy committee's on the matter; the South East Europe Security Steering Group (SEEGROUP) and the South East Europe Common Assessment Paper on Regional Security Challenges and Opportunities (SEECAP). No doubt the Serb military now have a better insight into NATO - and thus US/UK - military thinking than they did before.

Given the Serb's role in arming Iraq, and the possibility of war involving US/UK forces, it is none too intelligent to have the Serb military at the centre of NATO policy making. Serbia should be unceremoniously jettisoned from SEEGROUP and SEECAP.

As can be seen, regional military thinking is not in the West's interest. But despite the failures of the previous two Yugoslav states, the dogma that dictates that the ex-Yugoslav countries should be re-united in some way is strong.

The International Crisis Group (ICG), which has influence on policy making, builds on such dogma in its latest report on Macedonia. ICG advises both the EU and NATO to turn Macedonia into some kind of regional security centre. The Krivolak military training centre is proposed as a possible regional training centre. No doubt the recent Macedonian initiative on training centres with Albania and Croatia was largely inspired by this ICG idea.

Part of the rationale for making Macedonia this regional security centre is that Yugo-nostalgic dogma again. ICG says, ".. unlike Bulgarians or Romanians, most Macedonians can communicate with Serbs, Croats and Bosnians in their own language, and have other bonds and more frequent contacts with their former countrymen."

Serbia has proved itself to be an unreliable security partner; they have been arming Saddam Hussein. The ICG have themselves done a report on this; but dogma gets in the way of the obvious conclusion that "regional cooperation" may assist countries such as Serbia that are in league with states like Iraq.

Indeed, for the project of creating a West Balkan structure of some kind, Serb transgressions are routinely overlooked. So far, Serbia has not faced any real sanctions over the arms scandal; in fact the Council of Europe's delay in admitting Serbia is primarily about the lack of speed in adopting a new constitution with Montenegro, rather than such trifling matters as arming Saddam Hussein or sheltering war criminals such as Ratko Mladic.

Indeed, the British Foreign Office's sanctions against Croatia for not handing over General Bobetko to The Hague - whilst leaving Serbia alone for worse - look more hypocritical and foolish than ever. It certainly is not in the British interest; Serbia supplies military aid to Iraq, whom British troops may end up in a war with whilst Croatia stops such aid by impounding the Boka Star, the ship carrying military supplies to Iraq. Who is Britain's real ally here?

Then we have Balkan organised crime. A recent conference in London - reported all over the world - was held to discuss the matter. British Home Secretary David Blunkett stated that "The Balkans have become the gateway to Europe for organised criminals". The Independent reported that Albanian crime gangs are taking over London's vice trade. Furthermore, it was reported that Bosnia-Herzegovina was a major transit route for illegal immigration.

Remarkably, EU regional policy will facilitate all this crime.

As I written before, the EU has a Stabilisation and Association Process, which involves all members of the former Yugoslavia minus Slovenia plus Albania - the "West Balkans". Articles 11-14 of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) Croatia signed with the EU clearly state that agreements must be made between the SAA that includes matters such as: a free trade area, mutual concessions concerning the movement of workers and capital. All of which will assist arms dealers, illegal immigration rackets, terrorists, vice gangs and any other organised crime racket you can think of.

Bizarrely, Croatia appears to be going along with this. At the recent NATO summit, Croatia agreed to work closely with Albania and Macedonia - damaging Croatia's image no end - in the future. The Albanian president called for "free movement of people". The Croatian presidential adviser Tomislav Jakic said that the countries would jointly seek to abolish current visa restrictions. Given Croatia's far superior economy to the other SAA states, the movement of people will be a strictly one way process.

Currently, Croats are not featuring in the headlines. It is not Croat gangs that running prostitution rackets in London. It is not Croats dominating the arming of Saddam Hussein. Yet, by forcing a defacto "open borders" policy onto Croatia in relation to its neighbours, Croatia will not only suffer the effects of crime gangs, but these people will have a new jumping off point into Europe. The international community no doubt will provide some assistance in preventing criminals from moving into the EU, but the fact is with more opportunities provided for criminals to move into Croatia, there will be that many more coming into the EU.

Further, Croatian association with the "West Balkans" will do Croatia damage; fewer people will wish to invest in a country associated with politically unstable Serbia and Macedonia. It may even effect tourism. Image is all; Croatia may be relatively crime free but by being closely associated with the crime ridden "Balkans" tourists may start going elsewhere. An impoverished Croatia will be less able to combat crime, again not in the West's interest.

The international community must abandon its regional policy at once. These countries should be treated individually on their merits. By insisting on some kind of federation in the region, criminal activity will be the main beneficiary. Criminals will be able to extend themselves far more into Croatia -and thus into the neighbouring EU. Dogma thus takes precedence over reality, with abysmal results.

The international community's regional policy in South East Europe is a disaster for the future. It currently helps countries such as Serbia to arm dubious states such as Iraq, and it will help Balkan crime gangs to flourish in Western Europe. The effect on the countries of the region will be disastrous.

But is sanity prevailing? As I conclude this, it is reported that in Vienna, the EU commissioner for enlargement, Guenther Verheugan, has stated that Croatia under no criteria belongs to the Western Balkans and should be excluded from it. Further, Croatia should be viewed as a possible candidate for the second round of enlargement. The Austrian chancellor is agreeable on this as well.

Croatia is likely to apply for EU candidate status; a Wall Street Journal article pointed out that this would force the EU to choose between individual accession to the EU or the West Balkans as a group. The EU and the international community should use Croatia's application as an opportunity to quietly ditch the whole regional cooperation/West Balkans concept.

© Brian Gallagher