ZAGREB, March 22 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on Saturday he and the government did not approach the allied strike on Iraq differently but that each side interpreted the position in different ways.
ZAGREB, March 22 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on
Saturday he and the government did not approach the allied strike on
Iraq differently but that each side interpreted the position in
different ways. #L#
Mesic was asked by reporters to comment on Prime Minister Ivica
Racan's statement that the government had not been consulted about
the content of an address to the nation Mesic gave when the strike on
Iraq began.
In the address Mesic said the strike was illegitimate as it had not
been approved by the United Nations. Racan said the strike had not
been verified by the world body.
"There's no misunderstanding or conflict... there are no
indications of a different approach at all, but we don't all use the
same rhetoric," Mesic said today.
He added all creators of the foreign policy had agreed on a common
stand which they were now representing, and that there was no
misunderstanding.
Asked about Croatia's stance about the war in Iraq, the president
said Croatia would have endorsed it had the U.N. rubber-stamped the
action as in that case it would have been legitimate.
He declined, however, to estimate if Croatia would back an
operation without U.N. approval if the Saddam Hussein regime were
to use biological or chemical weaponry.
Mesic hoped such arms, the existence of which he said had still not
been proved, would not be resorted to.
He estimated the duration of the Iraq war would depend on how long
organised resistance would last.
"That's a crystallised dictatorship and it's assumed it should
break and resistance stop, but it is to be seen if the blow will hit
the right place."
He was hopeful the war would end as soon as possible and with as few
casualties as possible.
(hina) ha