ZAGREB, Sept 11 (Hina) - The Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HKDU) welcomes the apology of the president of Serbia-Montenegro, Svetozar Marovic, although it considers this move belated and insignificant "in comparison to crimes
and genocide committed against Croats and Croatia".
ZAGREB, Sept 11 (Hina) - The Croatian Christian Democratic Union
(HKDU) welcomes the apology of the president of Serbia-Montenegro,
Svetozar Marovic, although it considers this move belated and
insignificant "in comparison to crimes and genocide committed
against Croats and Croatia". #L#
This parliamentary party believes that the apology which Croatian
President Stjepan Mesic made in Belgrade is inappropriate given
that "Croatia did not launch aggression against Serbia-Montenegro,
nor did any of its soldiers cross onto its territory". The HKDU
stressed that Mesic's move equated Croatian soldiers who defended
their homeland with Serb nationalists.
Ivic Pasalic, the leader of another parliamentary party, the
Croatian Bloc, has condemned Mesic's apology describing it as
shameful and humiliating for all Croatian citizens. Pasalic
believes that Mesic has also disgraced the office he holds.
At a news conference on Thursday, Pasalic said that "the apology
from Belgrade will be genuine only if some Serbian leader
apologises at Ovcara".
The president of the Serb People's Party (SNS), Milan Djukic,
welcomed the apologies offered by the two presidents in Belgrade
yesterday.
Djukic told reporters on Thursday that this was a step forward in
the development of bilateral relations and in bids to create a
climate for tolerance between the two nations.
The federation of the homeland war veterans SUDHOS considers
Mesic's apology yet another blow to Croatian veterans, families
whose members were killed or went missing in the war and all values
achieved in the Homeland Defence War.
The President of Serbia-Montenegro, Svetozar Marovic, on Wednesday
apologised for "all evils that any citizen of Serbia and Montenegro
caused to anyone in Croatia". Marovic made the apology at a news
conference following talks with his Croatian counterpart Stjepan
Mesic, who was on an official visit to Belgrade.
The Croatian president said he accepted this "symbolic apology",
and added that on his part he would like to offer an apology "to
anyone to whom citizens of Croatia, at any time, caused pain or
damage acting contrary to the law and abusing their position".
(hina) ms