MESIC SAYS CROATIA SHOULD NOT SUFFER CONSEQUENCES OF GOTOVINA CASE

BRUSSELS, Feb 26 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in Brussels on Thursday that according to his information General Ante Gotovina was not in Croatia and that he believed that Croatia should not suffer the consequences of his case.#L# Speaking at a news conference, Mesic said Croatia was ready to help trace the fugitive general who has been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He said the Croatian government would demonstrate its credibility in case the ICTY issued new indictments, and added that "the Gotovina case will not happen again". "We need the assistance of all European and other countries because we can act only on our own territory", Mesic said adding that the fugitive general had both the Croatian and French passports. Asked by a reporter, Mesic commented on an incident which happened before his speech in the European Parliament. Italian deputy Mario Borghezi of Liga Nord (Northern Alliance) shouted "Why don't you respect the Italian minority in Istria, Dalmatia, Rijeka and Zadar?" "We have regulated the issue of national minorities at the highest level, the Italian minority in Croatia has no complaints, but there are some people outside Croatia who keep opening that question," Mesic said. Mesic said one could also speak about the suffering of Croatian citizens during the Italian fascist regime, but stressed it was necessary "to close the WWII book". The Croatian president voiced concern over the latest developments in Serbia after the December 2003 parliamentary elections. "The messages coming from Serbia may be worrisome because some radical elements have mentioned the change of borders, which can pose an obstacle in relations with Croatia," said Mesic and expressed hope the European concept would win in Serbia. By addressing MPs in the European Parliament Mesic ended his visit to Brussels. (Hina) it sb