ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - All Croatian parliamentary party benches on Thursday denounced threats Drazen Pavlovic from Sinj's branch of the Homeland War invalids' association (HVIDR) made yesterday against the president and the prime
minister. They also condemned last night's blockade of a road in Bibinje because of which one person was injured.
ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - All Croatian parliamentary party benches
on Thursday denounced threats Drazen Pavlovic from Sinj's branch of
the Homeland War invalids' association (HVIDR) made yesterday
against the president and the prime minister. They also condemned
last night's blockade of a road in Bibinje because of which one
person was injured. #L#
Social Liberal (HSLS) Josko Kontic's claim that state institutions
were exerting pressure on Homeland War veterans, while hushing up
suspicions of crime by state officials caused heated reactions.
Such reactions were also the result of a statement by Ivan Ninic of
the Social Democrats (SDP) who said that the SDP party bench "cannot
endorse 'Serbisation', death threats and the unacceptable conduct
of individuals and groups motivated by the non-final verdict" for
the so-called Gospic Group.
"This verdict cannot be contested in the streets with the aim of
toppling a legally elected government," Ninic said.
Kontic condemned any call for violence. Blocking streets with
trunks and people being injured because of it is unacceptable, he
said.
He slammed the SDP, saying the party had not been that concerned
when the head of the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and
Organised Crime (USKOK) warned about an alleged connection between
crime and state institutions, not even when some officials warned
about possible illegalities in the privatisation of the Suncani
Hvar hotel company.
"It now turns out that the biggest threat to Croatia are Croatian
veterans and HVIDR which is announcing protests," said Kontic.
MPs of the opposition reacted vehemently to a claim by Vesna Pusic
who, on behalf of the Croatian People's Party/Primorje-Gorski
Kotar Party/Slavonia-Baranja Croatian Party bench, said that
Drazen Pavlovic's statement contained elements of the criminal act
of threatening a life, that such a statement should not be viewed as
a stance, and that the announcement of blockading roads represented
the criminal act of pressure on a court.
Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) Ljubo Cesic Rojs described
Pusic's statement as pressure on the judiciary. Drago Krpina of the
same party called on state institutions to react in the same manner
to "criminal acts by (Reconstruction, Construction and Public
Works) Minister (Radimir) Cacic", who he said "is giving out work
concessions to his wife and his party's secretary without a
previous public tender".
On behalf of the Libra party, Jozo Rados denounced the reservation
by some MPs towards "the evident threat against the premier and the
president".
He condemned all threats, pressures on courts, as well as
assessments that the trial of General Mirko Norac was a political
one. This is an attempt to politicise the judiciary, which could
result in Croatia losing its position in relation to the Hague-
based war crimes tribunal, he said.
Luka Trconic of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) reminded that by
adopting the Constitutional Law on cooperation with the Hague
tribunal, Croatia wanted to make sure that its courts would be the
ones to deal out justice and establish whether there had been any
war crimes or not.
Liberal Party's (LS) Zlatko Kramaric said "one cannot deny the fact
that there are those who sympathise with and have a soft stand
towards (Pavlovic's) statement".
Istrian Democratic Assembly's (IDS) Damir Kajin said, "We will ruin
our tourist season ourselves, because the Italians are already
writing about the blockade of roads, and soon the rest of the
competition will do the same".
Vladimir Seks of the HDZ said the party denounced Pavlovic's
statement, whether it had been said in disappointment or an
emotional outburst.
"The HDZ does not accept such uncontrolled, stupid outbursts, nor
the placing of tree trunks on roads where an innocent man was hurt,"
Seks said.
He urged veterans' associations and HVIDR to be calm, respect the
law and the Constitution, which, he said, General Norac had done
through his attorney.
He also warned parties of the ruling coalition that some of them had
in 1999 endorsed blockades of roads as an expression of political
disagreement, which the then government had not solved by using
police, but dialogue.
Seks recalled his party received with regret the news about the
verdict for Norac and that it was hoping for an acquittal in the
appeals proceedings.
(hina) lml sb