ZAGREB, May 18 (Hina) - Premier Ivica Racan has said that the government is trying to talk with Croatia's friends, including the United States, in order to obtain their understanding for a complicated situation in Croatia with regard
to the insistence on non-extradition of American citizens to the recently established International Criminal Court (ICC).
ZAGREB, May 18 (Hina) - Premier Ivica Racan has said that the
government is trying to talk with Croatia's friends, including the
United States, in order to obtain their understanding for a
complicated situation in Croatia with regard to the insistence on
non-extradition of American citizens to the recently established
International Criminal Court (ICC). #L#
"How can one consent to the non-extradition of American citizens to
the war crimes court, at the same time being exposed to the pressure
of all those (countries), including the United States, that are
asking of us to extradite Croatian nationals with no excuse?"
Premier Racan said in an interview with Sunday's issue of a Croatian
newspaper.
"We must force them to understand our situation, and if we do not
manage to do so, we shall have to take the burden and pay a high price
because of this stand," Racan said responding to the question
whether Zagreb has an answer to the U.S. demand that it should sign a
treaty with Washington on offering guarantees that Americans would
not be extradited to the ICC.
"It is not easy to decide on the best move, given that it must be such
decision that will inflict as little damage as possible to Croatia.
It is hard to see any good move... The United States insists on one
thing, the European Union expects the other," the premier said.
Racan, in his interview with the Vjesnik daily, spoke about headway
made by his Cabinet since 2000 and about the current coalition and
the prospects of his Social Democrats (SDP) at the coming
elections.
Recalling the job the incumbent authorities should do until late
October this year for the country's application for EU full
membership, Racan said that if the government did that job
successfully by the end of October, parliamentary elections would
most probably be organised in late November.
Asked whether he counts on the current coalition partners or he is
planning to change the main partner, Racan answered that
speculations of a higher extent about the change in the main partner
were not real, and added that one should further count on the strong
Social Democrat option in Croatia.
Asked about successes and failures of his Cabinet, Racan said that
political and economic stabilisation of Croatia with a high growth
rate, the struggle against unemployment and strategic projects
such as the construction of highways and gas pipelines should be
regarded as the biggest successes.
Commenting on failures, Racan said he was angry at seeing that they
had not managed to punish those accountable for the embezzlement
and white-collar crime in the privatisation process.
(hina) ms