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Croat American Association organising rallies in support of Gotovina

ZAGREB, Aug 4 (Hina) - The Croat American Association (CAA) has calledon Croats around the world and in Croatia to rally on Friday on thetenth anniversary of the military Operation Storm in support offugitive Hague war crimes tribunal indictee Ante Gotovina andcelebrate the liberation of the homeland.
ZAGREB, Aug 4 (Hina) - The Croat American Association (CAA) has called on Croats around the world and in Croatia to rally on Friday on the tenth anniversary of the military Operation Storm in support of fugitive Hague war crimes tribunal indictee Ante Gotovina and celebrate the liberation of the homeland.

The rallies are expected to take place in Croatia's Knin, in Washington, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, Sydney, Melbourne, and Berlin.

The CAA's intention is to mark Croatia's liberation, but especially to protest against the prosecution of General Gotovina and insist that he must not be brought before the Hague tribunal.

"Our goal is for the world to know that General Gotovina is not a criminal but a hero," Jackie Prkic told Hina on Wednesday. She is the president of the CAA's Chicago branch and the head organiser of the rallies.

Prkic said the rallies were also against the Hague tribunal's chief prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, because she accused Gotovina of war crimes committed during Operation Storm.

The CAA initially wanted the rallies to be organised in front of Croatian embassies and consulates to indicate that they were also against the Croatian government because it is trying to track down Gotovina and extradite him to the UN court.

Prkic said the rallies would be staged in squares and in front of the UN in New York because no permits could be obtained to organise them in front of embassies.

Asked if the protests were still against the Croatian government, she said they were against all who thought Gotovina was a criminal and not a hero.

In Washington, CAA representatives will lobby in the State Department and Congress against the prosecution of Gotovina.

Prkic refuted Croatian media speculation that Croatian Bloc leader Ivic Pasalic was behind the rallies, saying she was the initiator.

Prkic also launched an Internet page, "Free General Gotovina". She said more than 700 signatures of support had been collected so far and that when enough had been collected, the petition would be sent to US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and other state leaders.

Prkic also said that if Gotovina was sent to The Hague, Croatian Serbs would argue that in Operation Storm Croatia unlawfully seized the occupied territory of the former self-styled Republic of Serb Krajina and that they would claim it back. She added they might base their claim on the fact that del Ponte accused Gotovina, the operation's commander, of war crimes and criminalised the operation.

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