Twelve Generals' Letter
Encyclopedia
The Twelve Generals' Letter was an open letter
, signed by twelve general
s of the Croatian Armed Forces
, that criticized the government, politicians and media for perceived criminalization of the Croatian War of Independence
and asserted that war veteran
s had suffered undignified treatment. On 29 September 2000, a day after the letter was published by the Croatia
n media, Croatian President
Stjepan Mesić
reacted by sending into forced retirement all seven of the signatories who were active-duty
officers. The affair was a source of significant controversy in Croatia and is considered one of the key events in Mesić's ten-year presidential incumbency.
and leader of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ), Franjo Tuđman, died in office in December 1999. In January 2000 Tuđman's HDZ, a nationalist party that had ruled Croatia since independence in 1991, lost power in the parliamentary elections
and was replaced by a center-left coalition of six parties. Stjepan Mesić
, one of Tuđman's fiercest critics, won the presidential elections
in the same month.
The new liberal and pro-European government began to investigate war crime
s committed by Croatian forces in the Croatian War of Independence
(1991–1995), aiming to improve cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) in the Hague
. These developments enraged the war veterans' groups and extreme nationalists.
After a key whistleblower and war crime witness Milan Levar was murdered on 28 August, a wave of arrests of war crime suspects followed. In response, veterans' groups organized protests that escalated into threats and violence. An anonymous death threat was sent to President Mesić and Prime Minister Račan
.
The new government also started a cycle of defense reforms, which aroused further concern among high-ranking officers of the Croatian Army who were themselves war veterans.
The letter was titled "An Open Letter of Croatian Generals to the Croatian Public" and organized into six points.
The first point noted "with bitterness" that a significant proportion of media and politicians spoke of the Croatian War of Independence
as "something bad, problematic, even shameful, while in fact it was the foundation of Croatia's freedom, independence and sovereignty".
The signatories stressed in the second point that they were not against the sanctioning of individual criminal acts. However, they asserted that recent actions by the police had left the impression of a crackdown on terrorism or organized crime, rather than an act of a democratic country within the rule of law, in accord with the actual circumstances and the dignity of war veterans and Croatian Army officers.
The third point denounced what the signatories called an "unnecessary show of force" and presumptions of guilt, including speculation about indictments by the ICTY, deeming them detrimental to tolerance and democracy in Croatia.
The fourth point rejected conflicts, violence and terrorism, which the signatories deemed to not be in the interests of "anyone responsible", war veterans in particular.
The fifth point comprised a comment by the signatories on speculation regarding the reorganisation of the Croatian Army. They declared their support for the promotion of the most educated and most capable individuals, "which means those who proved themselves in the Croatian War of Independence".
In the sixth and final point, the signatories urged the government, civil society and the media to "resist the negativist, historically incorrect and untrue portrayals of the Croatian War of Independence" and to "protect the dignity of Croatian officers and soldiers" as the foundations of Croatian freedom and independence, as well as the future of a democratic and prosperous Croatia.
The letter was signed by General of the Army
(ret.) Janko Bobetko
, Lt. Gen.
Ante Gotovina
, Lt. Gen. Krešimir Ćosić
, Maj. Gen.
Mirko Norac
, Admiral Davor Domazet-Lošo, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Ivan Korade
, Maj. Gen. Damir Krstičević, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ivan Čermak
, Maj. Gen. Ivan Kapular, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Nojko Marinović, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ivan Basarac and Maj. Gen. Miljenko Filipović.
Stjepan Mesić
noted that he also supported preserving the dignity of the Croatian War of Independence
, provided "that the government is still functioning, that there is no selective approach, and that the law applies to everyone". He said that some individuals from the HDZ were responsible for the letter's creation.
The Office of the President of Croatia and the Croatian Ministry of Defense
called the letter "inappropriate". The Ministry of Defence also described it as "unprofessional", noting that the law forbids the members of Croatian Armed Forces from engaging in political activities.
On 29 September 2000, a day after the letter was published, President Mesić announced that he was retiring all seven serving officers (Gotovina, Ćosić, Krstičević, Kapular, Filipović, Domazet-Lošo and Norac) who signed the letter. He stated that "those who thought a coup d'état
in this country could be achieved with pamphlet
s have played the wrong card. As of today, they are not members of the Croatian Army."
Mesić's actions produced widely varied reactions from the political parties. The ruling coalition parties generally supported the move, calling it "logical", and even "necessary", while Ivo Sanader
, president of the HDZ, criticized it as "extremely dangerous". Mesić was also severely criticised by Croatian war veterans' organisations. On the other hand, polls showed that the majority of Croatian public supported the President's actions.
An article by Nacional
weekly warned that twenty more generals were planning to sign a letter against the government, which created concern about an actual coup. President Mesić, however, dismissed such speculations as "nonsense".
In the 2003 election campaign
, Ivo Sanader
, president of the HDZ, announced the possibility of reactivating the generals. However, according to Nacional weekly, Sanader abandoned the idea due to his inability to implement it against the wish of President Mesić, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The issue was raised again in the 2009/2010 presidential election. Three presidential candidates, Milan Bandić
, Andrija Hebrang
and Nadan Vidošević
, stated that, if elected, they would rehabilitate the generals and return some of them to active duty. The eventual winner of the election, Ivo Josipović
, rejected this suggestion, saying that the generals' retirement was final.
Mesić's decision to retire the generals is widely seen as one of the most important events of his presidency. Stjepan Mesić's successor Ivo Josipović stated that this was Mesić's best move in both of his five-year terms, while Croatian military analyst Igor Tabak described it as a "hard decision to take", since it came early in the Mesić's first term, and went against an old authoritarian system that was still strong. The move is seen as important in the context of the depoliticisation of the armed forces and defence reforms that ultimately led to the accession of Croatia to NATO
in 2009. On the other hand, Mesić's critics contend that the supposed "coup" was non-existent and that his decision was essentially a continuation of anti-military sentiment which the generals had to publicly address as their patriotic duty.
Open letter
An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally....
, signed by twelve general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s of the Croatian Armed Forces
Military of Croatia
Croatian military is officially called Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and it consists of three branches:* Croatian Army * Croatian Navy...
, that criticized the government, politicians and media for perceived criminalization of the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
and asserted that war veteran
War Veteran
War Veteran is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick. It was first published in If magazine in March 1955.-Plot summary:The plot concerns an old man who claims to have travelled back in time from a future in which Earth has lost a devastating war to its own Martian and Venusian colonies...
s had suffered undignified treatment. On 29 September 2000, a day after the letter was published by the Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n media, Croatian President
President of Croatia
The President of Croatia , officially styled the President of the Republic represents the Republic of Croatia in the country and abroad as the head of state, maintains the regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, and safeguards the independence and...
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
reacted by sending into forced retirement all seven of the signatories who were active-duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
officers. The affair was a source of significant controversy in Croatia and is considered one of the key events in Mesić's ten-year presidential incumbency.
Background
Croatia underwent major political changes in late 1999 – early 2000. The first President of CroatiaPresident of Croatia
The President of Croatia , officially styled the President of the Republic represents the Republic of Croatia in the country and abroad as the head of state, maintains the regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, and safeguards the independence and...
and leader of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
(HDZ), Franjo Tuđman, died in office in December 1999. In January 2000 Tuđman's HDZ, a nationalist party that had ruled Croatia since independence in 1991, lost power in the parliamentary elections
Croatian parliamentary election, 2000
Elections for the Chamber of Representatives of the Croatian Parliament were held on January 3, 2000. These were the first elections to be held after the expiration of a full term of the previous Chamber....
and was replaced by a center-left coalition of six parties. Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
, one of Tuđman's fiercest critics, won the presidential elections
Croatian presidential election, 2000
Presidential elections were held in Croatia on 24 January 2000. As no candidate passed the 50% threshold, a secound round was held on 7 February, the first time a second round had been required in the country's history. The result was a victory for Stjepan Mesić of the Croatian People's Party, who...
in the same month.
The new liberal and pro-European government began to investigate war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s committed by Croatian forces in the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
(1991–1995), aiming to improve cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
(ICTY) in the Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. These developments enraged the war veterans' groups and extreme nationalists.
After a key whistleblower and war crime witness Milan Levar was murdered on 28 August, a wave of arrests of war crime suspects followed. In response, veterans' groups organized protests that escalated into threats and violence. An anonymous death threat was sent to President Mesić and Prime Minister Račan
Ivica Racan
Ivica Račan was a Croatian career politician, leader of the League of Communists of Croatia and later Social Democratic Party from 1989 to 2007...
.
The new government also started a cycle of defense reforms, which aroused further concern among high-ranking officers of the Croatian Army who were themselves war veterans.
Content
The first point noted "with bitterness" that a significant proportion of media and politicians spoke of the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
as "something bad, problematic, even shameful, while in fact it was the foundation of Croatia's freedom, independence and sovereignty".
The signatories stressed in the second point that they were not against the sanctioning of individual criminal acts. However, they asserted that recent actions by the police had left the impression of a crackdown on terrorism or organized crime, rather than an act of a democratic country within the rule of law, in accord with the actual circumstances and the dignity of war veterans and Croatian Army officers.
The third point denounced what the signatories called an "unnecessary show of force" and presumptions of guilt, including speculation about indictments by the ICTY, deeming them detrimental to tolerance and democracy in Croatia.
The fourth point rejected conflicts, violence and terrorism, which the signatories deemed to not be in the interests of "anyone responsible", war veterans in particular.
The fifth point comprised a comment by the signatories on speculation regarding the reorganisation of the Croatian Army. They declared their support for the promotion of the most educated and most capable individuals, "which means those who proved themselves in the Croatian War of Independence".
In the sixth and final point, the signatories urged the government, civil society and the media to "resist the negativist, historically incorrect and untrue portrayals of the Croatian War of Independence" and to "protect the dignity of Croatian officers and soldiers" as the foundations of Croatian freedom and independence, as well as the future of a democratic and prosperous Croatia.
The letter was signed by General of the Army
General of the Army
General of the Army is a military rank used in some countries to denote a senior military leader, usually a General in command of a nation's Army. It may also be the title given to a General who commands an Army in the field....
(ret.) Janko Bobetko
Janko Bobetko
Janko Bobetko was a Croatian Army general and Chief of the General Staff during the Croatian War of Independence from 1992 until his retirement in 1995. Bobetko had been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia but died before he could be tried...
, Lt. Gen.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina is a former Senior Corporal of the French Foreign Legion and former Lieutenant General of the Croatian Army who served in the Croatian War for Independence...
, Lt. Gen. Krešimir Ćosić
Krešimir Cosic (politician)
Krešimir Ćosić is a Croatian soldier and politician.He graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Zagreb in 1973, and later obtained a doctorate in 1984....
, Maj. Gen.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Mirko Norac
Mirko Norac
Mirko Norac is a former general of the Croatian Army. In 2003 he became the first Croatian Army general to be found guilty of war crimes by a Croatian court after he was transferred from The Hague...
, Admiral Davor Domazet-Lošo, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Ivan Korade
Ivan Korade
Ivan Korade was a Croatian Army general famous for his role in the Croatian War of Independence. Korade's long history of violent behaviour resulted in forced retirement in 1997 and culminated in a 2008 shooting spree in which he murdered five people before committing suicide.-Early life and...
, Maj. Gen. Damir Krstičević, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ivan Čermak
Ivan Cermak
Ivan Čermak is a Croatian politician and soldier.He was born in the municipality of Zagreb . He became a small businessman in the 1980s...
, Maj. Gen. Ivan Kapular, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Nojko Marinović, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ivan Basarac and Maj. Gen. Miljenko Filipović.
Reactions
In his first public comment on the letter, Croatian PresidentPresident of Croatia
The President of Croatia , officially styled the President of the Republic represents the Republic of Croatia in the country and abroad as the head of state, maintains the regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, and safeguards the independence and...
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
noted that he also supported preserving the dignity of the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
, provided "that the government is still functioning, that there is no selective approach, and that the law applies to everyone". He said that some individuals from the HDZ were responsible for the letter's creation.
The Office of the President of Croatia and the Croatian Ministry of Defense
Ministry of Defence (Croatia)
The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia is the ministry in the Government of Croatia which is in charge of the nation's military. The ministry was established in 1990.-Ministers:-References:...
called the letter "inappropriate". The Ministry of Defence also described it as "unprofessional", noting that the law forbids the members of Croatian Armed Forces from engaging in political activities.
On 29 September 2000, a day after the letter was published, President Mesić announced that he was retiring all seven serving officers (Gotovina, Ćosić, Krstičević, Kapular, Filipović, Domazet-Lošo and Norac) who signed the letter. He stated that "those who thought a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in this country could be achieved with pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
s have played the wrong card. As of today, they are not members of the Croatian Army."
Mesić's actions produced widely varied reactions from the political parties. The ruling coalition parties generally supported the move, calling it "logical", and even "necessary", while Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
, president of the HDZ, criticized it as "extremely dangerous". Mesić was also severely criticised by Croatian war veterans' organisations. On the other hand, polls showed that the majority of Croatian public supported the President's actions.
An article by Nacional
Nacional (weekly)
Nacional is a Croatian weekly newsmagazine published in Zagreb.-History:Nacional was started in 1995 by Denis Kuljiš, Ivo Pukanić and other journalists dissatisfied with the editorial policies of Croatian weekly newspaper Globus. Both publications were hostile to the ruling HDZ government...
weekly warned that twenty more generals were planning to sign a letter against the government, which created concern about an actual coup. President Mesić, however, dismissed such speculations as "nonsense".
Aftermath
On several occasions it was speculated that the retired generals might return to active duty. On 2 October 2000, President Mesić hinted that his decision might not yet be final for Maj. Gen. Krstičević, stating that Krstičević's fate depended on "his further conduct". At 33 years of age, he was the youngest among the signatories, and was – apart from Nojko Marinović – the only general from the Tuđman era with no party affiliation. Krstičević declined Mesić's implicit offer, saying that he had "nothing to repent for".In the 2003 election campaign
Croatian parliamentary election, 2003
-External links:*...
, Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
, president of the HDZ, announced the possibility of reactivating the generals. However, according to Nacional weekly, Sanader abandoned the idea due to his inability to implement it against the wish of President Mesić, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The issue was raised again in the 2009/2010 presidential election. Three presidential candidates, Milan Bandić
Milan Bandic
Milan Bandić is an influential Croatian politician currently serving his fourth term as mayor of Croatia's capital, Zagreb. Between 2000 and 2009, he was a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia . In 2007, he unsuccessfully ran for party president. However, he remained one of...
, Andrija Hebrang
Andrija Hebrang (son)
Andrija Hebrang is a Croatian physician and politician. A member of the Croatian Democratic Union , he is currently member of the Croatian Parliament...
and Nadan Vidošević
Nadan Vidošević
Nadan Vidošević is a Croatian politician, businessman and entrepreneur. He was a long-time member of the Croatian Democratic Union, before he launched an independent and ultimately unsuccessful candidacy in the 2009-2010 Croatian presidential election.-Overview:Vidošević graduated from Faculty of...
, stated that, if elected, they would rehabilitate the generals and return some of them to active duty. The eventual winner of the election, Ivo Josipović
Ivo Josipović
Ivo Josipović is a Croatian politician who has been President of Croatia since 2010. Josipović entered politics as a member of the League of Communists of Croatia , and played a key role in the democratic transformation of this party as the author of the first statute of the SDP that replaced the...
, rejected this suggestion, saying that the generals' retirement was final.
Mesić's decision to retire the generals is widely seen as one of the most important events of his presidency. Stjepan Mesić's successor Ivo Josipović stated that this was Mesić's best move in both of his five-year terms, while Croatian military analyst Igor Tabak described it as a "hard decision to take", since it came early in the Mesić's first term, and went against an old authoritarian system that was still strong. The move is seen as important in the context of the depoliticisation of the armed forces and defence reforms that ultimately led to the accession of Croatia to NATO
Accession of Croatia to NATO
The accession of Croatia to NATO took place in 2009. Croatia entered into NATO's Partnership for Peace in 2000, which began the process of accession into the alliance. The country received an invitation to join at the 2008 Bucharest Summit and became a full member on April 1,...
in 2009. On the other hand, Mesić's critics contend that the supposed "coup" was non-existent and that his decision was essentially a continuation of anti-military sentiment which the generals had to publicly address as their patriotic duty.