Dinko Sakic's Portfolio
From the Press
Srpska Mreza

JERUSALEM - Fugitive Croatian World War II crimes suspect Dinko Sakic visited Zagreb three years ago to attend a reunion of pro-Nazi war veterans, despite President Franjo Tujman's vow that the alleged Jasnovac death camp commandant would not be allowed to enter the country, a leading American Jewish leader said yesterday.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, B'nai B'rith International President Tommy Baer said his organization has been hunting for Sakic - who only last week was publicly exposed in a television report as living in Argentina - since December 1994, when it learned that Sakic had been living in Argentina since 1947.

Up to 500,000 Serbs, Jews and Gypsies perished in Jasnovac - mainly at the hands of the Croatian "Ustashi" Fascists, who collaborated with the SS.

"We found out about Sakic from an interview with him that appeared in Panorama, a Croatian publication that is based in Zagreb," Baer said. "I went to see President Tudjman in July 1995, mainly to discuss Sakic with him. He didn't want to talk about him, but I managed to get it in. Tudjman said he would prevent Sakic from entering the country and deal with Croatian war criminals after the Bosnia crisis was over.

However, Baer recalled that when the situation calmed down two and half years ago and the Dayton agreement was signed, B'nai B'rith contacted the Croatian Embassy in Washington to remind its staff of Tudjman's promise. "Nothing came of it," Baer said.

Baer contended that Tudjman met Sakic during a visit to Buenos Aires in December 1994.

"I don't know if it was a private meeting or whether they chatted during a reception for local Croats. There is a large Croat community in Argentina."

Baer said Sakic was living 300 kilometers south of Buenos Aires. His whereabouts were discussed with the Argentine foreign and justice ministers.

When Buenos Aires's TV Channel 13 disclosed last Monday that Sakic had found shelter in Argentina, Baer said the justice minister immediately issued a warrant for his arrest.

On Friday, Croatian Justice Minister Miroslav Separovic said he has started legal and diplomatic procedures to return Sakic for trial. Argentinean President Carlos Menem has indicated he would not oppose his return to Croatia.

The last information obtained by Baer about Sakic was that the suspect had told friends he was leaving home to go to Buenos Aires "to straighten things out."