"We fully understand the efforts by the Croatian government to meet the conditions of the European Union based on the constitutional law on cooperation with The Hague, but the government should also understand that no one asked us, war veterans, whether we supported this law," the coordinating body said in a statement signed by representatives 14 war veterans' organisations.
The statement urged the government to make every effort at relevant levels in order to refute allegations about the Homeland War being a criminal war, challenge all the indictments issued by the Hague tribunal against Croatian generals on the basis of command responsibility, and to restore the dignity of the Homeland War, Croatian war veterans and all Croatian people.
The 14 war veterans' organisations dismissed the idea of March 17 being the test for the government. "We Croatian war veterans do not consider crucial the date of start of negotiations or the year in which Croatia will become a full member of the European Union, but its position in economic, cultural and other areas," the statement said.
War veterans also rejected all attempts to portray General Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal, in Croatia as a person from a criminal environment.
"We, his comrades-in-arms, know very well what General Gotovina is like and who he is, and no false accusations levelled against him can diminish his role either in our eyes or in the Homeland Defence War," the statement said.