WASHINGTON: AMERICAN CROATS LOBBY FOR GENERAL GOTOVINA

WASHINGTON, May 6 (Hina) - Lobbying among representatives of the U.S. Congress, the president of the Croatian Americans' Association (CAA), George Rudman, on Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the indictment against Croatian General Ante Gotovina. #L# As part of the annual Croatian Days at the Capitol Hill, the CAA on Monday launched its lobby campaign with U.S. congressmen. Addressing several assistant congressmen, representatives of American Croats voiced their dissatisfaction with the ICTY indictment against General Gotovina. Rudman drew a parallel between U.S. General Tommy Franks who is leading the U.S. military operation in Iraq and the Gotovina who led the "Storm" liberation operation in Croatia. Rudman said that indictments had been issued against General Franks and U.S. President George W. Bush in several European countries. Those indictments were issued based on the principle of command responsibility which was originally used in the Gotovina case, Rudman said. The United States is indicted for war crimes in Iraq for the same reason as Gotovina is in Croatia, he said. The U.S. should stop supporting the Hague tribunal, said Rudman. The American Croat also criticised the allocation of U.S. assistance through the Agency for International Development. According to him, the funds are going to Serbia which sold weapons to Iraq and part of the funds were used to promote an anti-American mood in Croatia. Rudman pointed to a disagreement between the Croatian community in the U.S. and Croatia's and Bosnia's diplomatic missions. Diplomatic representatives of the two countries who addressed the meeting were informed about the issue. The CAA believes the policy they advocate is entirely contrary to the standpoints of American Croats and the CAA does not support them, said Rudman and added he primarily referred to the indictment against General Gotovina. (hina) it sb