ZAGREB, April 28 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on Monday that the reason for stalling with the appointment of intelligence service heads was that he had opposed the attempt of some parties to appoint them on a
partisan basis.
ZAGREB, April 28 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on
Monday that the reason for stalling with the appointment of
intelligence service heads was that he had opposed the attempt of
some parties to appoint them on a partisan basis. #L#
The president did not wish to tell a Croatian Radio programme which
parties he referred to, but revealed that they were some ruling
parties and some who had been in authority.
Asked whether the documents of the late defence minister, Gojko
Susak, which the government submitted to the Hague-based U.N. war
crimes tribunal, would harm or benefit Croatia, Mesic said
revealing the truth could in no way harm Croatia.
"If the truth suits anybody, it suits Croatia. Individuals must
answer for crimes, not the entire people," he said, adding that
Croatia was not the one that was creating Herceg Bosna, rather it
was the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party in Croatia and
Bosnia.
"In order for the Croatian army to cross the state border, the
president of the republic must publicly issue a decision to that
effect with the consent of the parliament. Neither of these
conditions were met. The tribunal must establish who sent groups
and individuals and financed Herceg Bosna," said Mesic.
He said he did not know the contents of the documents, although as
the then parliament president, he had held a top position in HDZ's
government. Mesic said the late president, Franjo Tudjman, had told
him to keep out of the policy towards Bosnia.
The president did not want to speculate whether these documents
would confirm the participation of the Croatian army in the war in
Bosnia and so bring into question the credibility of the
parliament's Declaration on the Homeland Defence War, which
negates this. "Time will show," he said.
Mesic said he did not expect new indictments to arrive in Croatia
from The Hague.
"I do not believe that there will be new indictments. The Croatian
public should not stir tensions when it is not known who is being
suspected and for what. Let the tribunal do its job," the president
said.
Asked to comment on media speculation that Interior Minister Sime
Lucin would offer a money reward for information on Croatian
General Ante Gotovina, a Hague tribunal fugitive, Mesic said he
"did not know what the reward could achieve".
(hina) lml sb