storm - Hrvatski memorijalno-dokumentacijski centar Domovinskog ...

for the safe passage of the convoy across the border at Ličko Petrovo Selo and back to
base by ensuring checkpoint clearance and patrol escort, i.e., operational support of the
mission by military police and security forces.
Th e convoy comprised fi ve trailer trucks. It left Glina on 12 July at 18.00 hours and was
supposed to cross the border at Ličko Petrovo Selo between 21.30 and 22.00 hours.
However, that night NENAD MIŠEVIĆ could not establish contact and make the
necessary arrangements with the assistant rear commander of the (ARBiH) 5 th Corps, a
certain ŠANTIĆ, and the entry of the convoy had to be postponed for the following day,
13 July 1995.
According to MIŠEVIĆ’s statement, someone hampered and disputed the action from
Belgrade, and since communications were jammed in the Cazin area, MIŠEVIĆ could
not contact Šantić by cellular phone.
Th e convoy spent the night and the following day in a lumber plant in Korenica, and its
entry in the Cazin area was planned for 13 July between 22.00 and 23.00 hours at the
same border crossing. Th e return was planned at 04.00 hours on 14 July.
Th e convoy crossed into the Cazin area with no problems. However, on the return
trip, the vehicles carrying Mišević and the foreign currency were spotted by the unit
controlling the border crossing. Some drunken soldiers intervened and even opened
fi re, alarming the other soldiers and even the local villagers (of Ličko Petrovo Selo), who
wanted to intercept the convoy, search it and fi nd out who was engaged in illicit dealings
with the (ARBiH) 5 th Corps.
As the situation at the border crossing became increasingly serious and threatened
to develop into an armed confl ict, colonel Zimonja contacted general Stevo Ševo and
lieutenant colonel Petar Borić, and asked them to intervene personally through the line
of command and let the convoy return safely to the RSK. Aft er lengthy persuasion, the
furious soldiers and villagers fi nally let the trucks, the drivers and Mišević to cross into
the RSK at about 13.00 hours.
Th e trucks drove on to Glina, and Mišević with the foreign currency, Zimonja and
Krković came to see me and lieutenant colonel Mihajlo Knežević [lieutenant colonel
Knežević and myself were at the same time engaged for the operational cover of the
members of the European Community who visited Plitvice on July 14 and 15 1995; I had
Knežević with me on purpose because Zimonja and Krković could not stand him] in a
facility equipped for security services at Plitvice.
Mišević brought into the room in which we were assembled a briefcase full of foreign
currency, emptied the money on a desk and began to divide it into amounts due to the
parties involved. Most of the money were 500 and 1000 Deutschmark (DM) notes, plus
several thousand Austrian schillings.
Amazed by the amount of foreign currency, I realized that this was again a black market
operation and not any action included in the planned operation against the (ARBiH) 5 th
Corps. I tried to follow the proceedings as carefully as I could because it was impossible
to record all that,
Mišević had written some notes in ballpoint on paper. Th e price of the goods sold was
specifi ed, and the balance read 1,237,000 DM on one paper and 1,000,000 DM on the
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