The monument was raised on August 22 by a group of Croatian emigrants from Canada despite opposition and appeals from local authorities and Church and state officials.
The plaque was placed by the stone fence of the parish church in Sveti Rok, a village in the municipality of Lovinac, and its placement prompted numerous responses, mainly those expressing condemnation.
Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Monday that the government expected relevant authorities to resolve this matter because it did great damage to Croatia, its national interests and to the people living in that area.
In a series of responses a question was raised as to who was responsible to deal with the issue -- local or state authorities, or even the Church, and on what legal grounds the plaque should be removed.
Parliament President Vladimir Seks has said in a newspaper interview that a basis for the removal of the monument can be found in the Constitution, which says that Croatia was founded on the traditions of antifascism, meaning opposite the regime of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), and that therefore symbols of movements and parties that were on the side of the NDH and fascism during World War Two could not be tolerated.
Some also believe that a basis for the removal of the plaque can be found in the Construction Act, but the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Regional Planning and Construction has dismissed such claims, saying that the memorial plaque does not fall within its jurisdiction because monuments of that size do not require a building permit.
The Ministry cited Article 115 of the Construction Act, which says that monuments measuring up to four square metres in area and up to four metres in height do not require a building permit.