SISAK, April 3 (Hina) - Croatia is determined not to allow the revision of the Homeland Defence War and the history "we all were witnesses to," regardless of the content of the Hague war crimes tribunal's indictments, both those
against Croatian generals Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac and the latest six against Bosnian Croat officials, Justice Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt said in Sisak on Saturday.
SISAK, April 3 (Hina) - Croatia is determined not to allow the revision
of the Homeland Defence War and the history "we all were witnesses
to," regardless of the content of the Hague war crimes tribunal's
indictments, both those against Croatian generals Ivan Cermak and
Mladen Markac and the latest six against Bosnian Croat officials,
Justice Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt said in Sisak on Saturday.#L#
"There will be no new indictments from The Hague but Croatia will be
allowed to (take over the Hague's) trials," she said at an
extraordinary electoral assembly of the Sisak-Moslavina County branch
of her Democratic Centre party.
"Even though the Hague tribunal tries individuals and not states,
Croatia, because of the contents of the indictments, will be involved
in proceedings either as a friend of the court or as a witness, and I
believe we will succeed in refuting the allegations in the
indictments."
The minister stressed she concluded from the talks she held in The
Hague over the past couple of days that "Croatia is being seen with
different eyes than its neighbouring states".
Skare-Ozbolt reiterated her party would propose the establishment of
an international team to be made up of officials who came to Croatia
during the 1990s war of independence and saw what was happening. She
voiced confidence the Croatian parliament would endorse this proposal,
and that the team of experts would refute the indictments' allegations
before the Hague tribunal.
The minister stressed the latest indictments against Bosnian Croat
officials made no mention at all of everything Croatia had done for
Bosnia-Herzegovina's defence from Greater Serbia aggression.
Croatia was the first state that recognised independent and sovereign
Bosnia, it offered military and humanitarian assistance in accordance
with bilateral and international agreements, and provided for more
than 500,000 Bosnian refugees, Skare-Ozbolt said.
"Because of all this we are determined to defend the truth about the
Homeland War and the help we gave Bosnia," she said, announcing that
the six men accused in connection with events in Bosnia would
voluntarily fly to The Hague on Monday.
(Hina) ha