Issue 143 (2019)

A. Demeshchuk, PhD Student

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine

ORCID: 0000-0003-4380-1142

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2640.2019.143.2

PLAN Z-4: AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT OF A PEACEFUL SOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT IN CROATIA

In this article the author analyze the central attempt of a peaceful negotiation and ending of the war in Croatia (1991-1995) – the plan Z-4 (Zagreb-4), which was created and presented for the discussion to Croatian and Serbian sides in the second half of 1994 and at the beginning of 1995 by a team of international negotiator from the USA, Great Britain, Russian Federation and Germany with the main role of a US ambassador in Zagreb – Peter Galbraith. The prehistory of this peaceful plan, the process of his preparation and development, its content (it is reviewed profoundly and cautiously), authorship and as well as discussions around it implementation and outcomes of its failure are considered it this article. The special author’s attention is paid to difficulties that were constantly appearing during the creation of the plan Z-4, because of two major reasons, Firstly, they were connected with different views and positions of great powers that were included in a process of Croatian-Serbian normalization and peace negotiations. And secondly, the history of Z-4 was highly troublesome because of an enormous level of enmity between Croats and Serbs, between Croatian government and leaders of self-declared Republic of Serbian Krajina, who were directly supported by Belgrade and Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. The author engaged original Croatian and other foreign materials – sources and literature, including the text of Z-4, various media and memoirs of the people, which were dealing with a development of this peaceful plan. According to all these materials the author comes to an outcome that the plan Z-4 could be an optimal solution from the Croatian-Serbian war, especially for the Serbian side: due to Z-4 Croatian Serbs would get a high level of territorial autonomy in areas where they composed an ethnic majority. Croatian government wasn’t content with such a prospect however it was ready to accept this peaceful plan. But Serbian side was very stubborn that led to the failure of Z-4 and to a military scenario (two major Croatian military operations in 1995) that eliminated Republic of Serbian Krajina at all.

Key words: Z-4, peaceful plan, Croatia, Republic of Serbian Krajina, Zagreb, Croats, Serbs, war.

Received by the editorial board: 23.10.2019

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