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S M A I L ^ E K I ] THE AGGRESSION AGAINST THE REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - PLANNING, PREPARATION, EXECUTION - Sarajevo, 2005 PUBLISHERS: Institute for the Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law, Sarajevo KULT/B, Sarajevo The Fund of the Sarajevo Canton for Protection and Conservation Cemeteries of Fallen Soldiers, Sarajevo FOR THE PUBLISHERS: Prof. dr Ismet Dizdarevi} EDITOR: Prof. mr Muharem Kreso REVIEWERS: Prof. dr Mustafa Imamovi} Prof. dr Norman Cigar Prof. dr Nijaz Durakovi} Prof. mr Muharem Kreso COVER: KULT/B, Sarajevo TRANSLATION: Branka Ramadanovi} PROOFREADER: Muhamed Me{i} James Forrester Tim North INDICES: Azra Fi{er DTP: Meldijana Arnaut PRINTING HOUSE: [tamparija Fojnica, Fojnica FOR THE PRINTING HOUSE: [ahzija Buljina CIRCULATION: 1.000 THE AGGRESSION AGAINST THE REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - PLANNING, PREPARATION, EXECUTION - TABLE OF CONTENTS A FOREWORD TO THE ENGLISH EDITION ........................ 11 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS .................................................. 13 V O L U M E O N E I ATTACK ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONCEPT OF DEFENCE OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA 1. Constitutional Determination of the Armed Forces of the SFRY 21 2. Break-Up of the Constitutional Concept of Defence of the SFRY 40 3. The Illegal Headquarters of Supreme Command ...................... 81 4. Reduction of the Territorial Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina 99 5. Disarmament of the Territorial Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina ........................................................... 133 6. From the Anti-Fascist to the Greater Serbian Army ................ 168 II THE GREATER SERBIA PROJECT AND THE PLANNING OF THE CRIME 1. The Revival and Escalation of the Greater Serbia Project ............... 197 2. Methods, mechanisms and procedures for the planning and preparation of crime .................................................................... 217 III THE GREATER SERBIA PROJECT AND THE PRESIDENCY OF THE SFRY UNTIL MARCH 1991 1. The Presidency of the SFRY and Its Parallel Informal Group ... 259 2. The Failure of Introduction of the State of Emergency and the Arranged Military Coup in March 1991 ..................... 303 7 IV DEFINING THE BORDERS OF GREATER SERBIA 1. The War Plan “RAM (FRAME)” ............................................. 363 2. Realization of the “RAM” War Plan ........................................ 417 3. Failure of Mobilization and Its Supplement ............................. 503 V CONSTITUTION OF THE GREATER SERBIA FIFTH COLUMN IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 1. The Fifth Column Activity and Organized Destruction of Government Structures in Bosnia and Herzegovin................... 533 2. Crisis Headquarters of the Serb People - Organs of the Occupying Power ............................................. 586 3. The Greater Serbia Strategic Goals in Bosnia and Herzegovina 613 VI DIRECT PREPARATIONS FOR THE AGGRESSION 1. Arming of the Fifth Column ..................................................... 645 2. The Integration of Command on Occupied Territories ............. 736 3. Taking the Starting Positions .................................................... 774 V O L U M E T W O VII THE ARMED FORMATIONS OF THE GREATER SERBIA AGGRESSOR AND THEIR LOGISTICS 1. The “Yugoslav People’s Army” — Army of Yugoslavia ............. 851 2. Volunteers and Volunteer JNA Units ................................ 884 3. Armed Units of the Serb Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...................................................... 892 4. “The Army of the Serb Republic of BiH” ................................. 931 5. Other Armed Formations and Groups from Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia .................................... 970 6. Armed Formations of the Union of Communists — Movement for Yugoslavia ........................................................ 1002 7. Foreign Mercenaries ................................................................. 1005 8. Logistical Support and Reinforcement in Manpower ............... 1011 VIII THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA IN THE AGGRESSION AGAINST THE REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 1. The Croatian Nationalist Ideology .......................................... 1045 2. The Negotiations in Karadjordjevo and Gradac ...................... 1052 3. The Greater Croatia Fifth Column in Bosnia and Herzegovina ..................................................... 1061 4. Occupation of a Part of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina .......................................................... 1086 a) Covert Aggression (November 1991 — January 1993) ........ 1087 b) Overt Aggression (January 1993 — March 1994) ............ 1138 5. Logistical assistance of the collaborationist units of the Croatian Army ....................................................... 1201 C O N C L U S I O N C O N C L U S I O N ............................................................... 1249 SOURCES AND LITERATURE ............................................. 1271 ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................ 1297 I N D E X - Biographical names ............................................... 1315 - Geographical names ................................................. 1381 - Relevant state, military and other notions ...................... 1431 9 FOREWORD TO THE ENGLISH EDITION The work of research titled THE AGGRESSION AGAINST THE REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: PLANNING, PREPARATION, EXECUTION, by Prof. Dr. Smail Cekic, and which is before you, represents the English translation of the identical original published in two volumes in Sarajevo, in 2004. It is a work of historiographical research, whose intent it is to present all documents, data, facts, information and other evidence, and - in the analysis of the above - to prove that Serbia and Montenegro, with their aides, as well as the Republic of Croatia, had carried out an aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that they have led an unprovoked war against it and that the war was not just a motivated, sudden war, but a war devised and prepared well in advance, carried out abruptly and without announcement and with all the elements of an aggression in the classical sense of the word. This scientific research is based on relevant documentation approached from a multidisciplinary point of view, i.e. relying on the findings of various scientific disciplines. It is a work of historiography, as it reconstructs the actual happenings - including their ideological, political, military and other (i.e. overall) activities, which constitute the act of aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The author of this very important historiographic testimony proves with ample strong arguments the a priori thesis that the war in Bosnia- Herzegovina (1991-1995) was, in fact, an aggression in the classical sense, a crime against the peace and security, not just an “ordinary” or civil war, and that the Bosniaks have been victims of genocide - the biggest crime committed in Europe since the end of World War II. This is not just the first work of its kind, but also the most complete and best work so far that with a statement broadly documented and clearly explained studies, analyses and indicates the character of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 11 The specificity and diversity of the relevant documentation, in particular, its inaccessibility to the national and global scientific and other audiences has conditioned the specific methodology of proving the facts, which in turn meant that the documentation takes up a third of the physical volume of the Study. That circumstance has also meant that the specific local military terminology, as well as the terminology of the used legal acts and bylaws, or the terminology unique to the socio-political system in Bosnia- Herzegovina to its independence (1992), could not have been avoided. Hence phrases such as “self-management”, “working people and citizens”, “ethnic groups and minorities” and other lexemes uncommon to the English language, appear in parts of the book. A note by the interpreter points the meaning or context of usage where needed. However, the preservation of the factual integrity of the work was our supreme principle while preparing the English edition, in particular, the fact that the book is intended to serve the global academic audience, and this very principle has in places even been enforced at the expense of the linguistic simplicity of the sentence. We most sincerely apologize to the reader, convinced that, given the specificity and seriousness of the presented matter, our intention remains understandable. We also wish to remind that the text of the Study quotes the used sources and literature in the original form, i.e. not translated into English, where the letters unknown to English - such as ~, }, d`, { and `, have been omitted. At the end of the book, a list of sources and literature used, as well as registries of personal and geographic names, appear bilingually. The Publishers 12 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Throughout their history, Bosnia and its population, the Bosniaks in particular, have been crucified between significant ideological and political divisions in the Balkans and the European continent. Bosnia has been on the border between the Western and Eastern Roman Empires (i.e. between Rome and Byzantium), and then between Eastern and Western Christianity, as well as subsequently, between the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires. In the Middle Ages, numerous crusades and conquering quests were launched against