ZAGREB, March 10 (Hina) - Associations of Homeland War veterans and a non-parliamentary right-wing party issued statements on Wednesday rejecting allegations of the persecution and ethnic cleansing of the Serb population and the
plunder and burning of their property, which are contained in indictments issued by the Hague war crimes tribunal against retired Croatian army generals.
ZAGREB, March 10 (Hina) - Associations of Homeland War veterans and a
non-parliamentary right-wing party issued statements on Wednesday
rejecting allegations of the persecution and ethnic cleansing of the
Serb population and the plunder and burning of their property, which
are contained in indictments issued by the Hague war crimes tribunal
against retired Croatian army generals.#L#
The association of volunteer physicians said it was appalled at the
allegations, describing them as "monstrous, immoral, fake and an
insult to the dignity of the Croatian people". Those allegations call
into question the legal existence of the Republic of Croatia,
suggesting that it was founded on war crimes. The association
expressed its support to the government, urging it to reject the
indictment and expressing hope that the government would find the best
way of defending the honour and dignity of the Croatian people and the
Croatian state.
In a statement to Parliament president Vladimir Seks, the alliance of
associations of disabled war veterans protested at a statement by
member of parliament Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly
(IDS) party, who it said had been systematically accusing Croatia of
aggression in Bosnia-Herzegovina and distorting the truth and
historical facts.
The non-parliamentary Croatian Party of Rights (Hrvatski pravasi),
protested against "the servility of the Croatian government and its
betrayal of Croatian national interests and ideals of the sanctity of
the Homeland War".
This party claimed that the government -- by agreeing to hand over
generals Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, who have been
charged with joining in a criminal enterprise with the late president
Franjo Tudjman to expel the Serbs from Croatia -- agreed to the
assumption that liberation operations Flash and Storm were criminal
operations.
Thus the government confirmed the opinion of Croatian People's Party
(HNS) leader Vesna Pusic that Croatia was created in crime. This
betrayal was made with the assistance of the presidents of the
republic and parliament and all parliamentary parties, the party
said.
The party urged all Croatian patriots to join it in boycotting "the
servile policy of the Croatian government" and called on the generals
not to turn themselves in to the tribunal, because "although innocent,
thanks to the betrayal (by the Croatian government) and criminal
international politics, they will certainly be given long prison
sentences".
(Hina) vm sb