ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) - Speaking about Croatia's relations with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, the latest indictments and the political allegations they contain, the prime minister and leader of the Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ), Ivo Sanader, said on Saturday nobody could alter Croatia's history. "Croatia was attacked. It had the right to defend itself and would do so again if necessary."
ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) - Speaking about Croatia's relations with the
war crimes tribunal in The Hague, the latest indictments and the
political allegations they contain, the prime minister and leader of
the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Ivo Sanader, said on Saturday
nobody could alter Croatia's history. "Croatia was attacked. It had
the right to defend itself and would do so again if necessary."#L#
Speaking at an HDZ electoral convention in Zagreb, he reiterated the
Office of the Prosecutor was only one party to the proceedings before
the Hague tribunal while the defence was the other, the one that would
challenge unacceptable allegations.
Sanader announced the government would use all legal means and become
involved in proceedings in order to prove that the allegations of the
Office of the Prosecutor about Croatia's role in the war in
Bosnia-Herzegovina were false. He said in this context that the late
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman had recommended to Bosnian Croats to
vote for Bosnia's independence at a referendum, and that this was a
historical truth which could not be disregarded.
Commenting on remarks that his government had led a successful foreign
policy in the first 100 days of its term but that the internal policy
had not been such, Sanader said the two policies were interactive and
that new development prospects would open once Croatia was granted EU
candidate status. There is no success without the interaction of the
foreign and internal policies, he said.
Croatia is ready for entering the EU and expects the European
Commission to issue a positive opinion on its EU membership
application by the end of this month, and to be granted candidate
status and start negotiations on full membership in June, he said,
adding that this would significantly bolster Croatia's international
position and open new development prospects.
Sanader announced the government would soon move a set of economic
measures to stimulate small and medium-size enterprise and thus
increase employment.
He also announced the HDZ would hold its ninth general convention in
Rijeka in two weeks' time.
(Hina) ha