ZAGREB, Feb 28 (Hina) - Croatian parliament president Vladimir Seks said in an interview with Saturday's issue of Jutarnji List daily that the government had made progress in its cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal and
scored a number of good agreements through silent diplomacy.
ZAGREB, Feb 28 (Hina) - Croatian parliament president Vladimir Seks
said in an interview with Saturday's issue of Jutarnji List daily that
the government had made progress in its cooperation with the U.N. war
crimes tribunal and scored a number of good agreements through silent
diplomacy.#L#
So far, the government has mostly concentrated on proving to the
European Union that Croatia has met most political requirements for
obtaining from the EU a positive response to its membership
application. Efforts were primarily invested into diplomatic activity,
with the other part of the government working fast to comply with the
rules of the game, which are the basis for a positive opinion, Seks
said when asked to comment on the first two months of the government's
term of office.
The parliament president said that much effort was invested in talks
with countries which have not ratified Croatia's Stabilisation and
Association Agreement with the EU yet.
Responding to the reporter's remark that the previous government, too,
had invested efforts, Seks said that Prime Minister Ivo Sanader had
made a big step forward. "The previous government, too, achieved good
results as regards the obtaining of a positive answer (from the EU),
but in the last two years of its term it started losing breath and was
no longer credible about the fulfilment of three important conditions
- the return of refugees, their accommodation and property
restitution. The previous government declared readiness (to fulfil the
conditions), but it did not fulfil them. And progress has also been
made in cooperation with the Hague tribunal," Seks said.
Seks believes that Croatia has become much more credible regarding the
fulfilment of the first two conditions concerning refugees, which he
says was proven with the participation of minority representatives in
the executive authorities. "Speaking about The Hague, we have
cooperated well regarding some documents and in operational-tactical
talks about Gotovina's appearance before the tribunal," he said.
Responding to the reporter's comment that nothing concrete was
happening with Gotovina's surrender, Seks said: "Yes, but credibility
has been returned. As regards some other possible cases, a good
atmosphere has been created in the tribunal's prosecution about the
transfer of some cases to Croatian courts".
"Statements that Gotovina will appear before the Hague tribunal are
authentic. He should make that heroic step. It is the duty of all, not
only the government and its bodies, to cooperate with the U.N.
tribunal. The government has not revoked the reward and we have the
obligation to efficiently carry out the operation through the Interior
Ministry and security services and on the basis of the previously
adopted decision on the hand-over," Seks said when asked if he would
revoke the reward offered by the previous interior minister for
information on Gotovina.
Seks believes that considering Croatia a hostage to Gotovina is
exaggerated. The Gotovina case is only one of the cases in the
cooperation with the Hague tribunal, he said, agreeing with the
reporter's remark that it was still the most important one.
Asked about possible new coalition partners, Seks said that it was
difficult to expect any, but that some very clear signals were coming
from some members of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS).
HSS leader Zlatko Tomcic said in an interview with today's Vjesnik
daily that Seks's statements about some HSS members joining the HDZ
were only "food for the media".
(Hina) rml