ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina)- Sabor Vice President Zdravko Tomac on Friday forwarded an open letter to the public noting that the reason for this move was to prevent any possible misunderstanding and dismiss ill-intentioned interpretations
related to his attendance at a commemoration for the victims of the Bleiburg and Way of the Cross tragedies, when he was prevented from making a speech.
ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina)- Sabor Vice President Zdravko Tomac on Friday
forwarded an open letter to the public noting that the reason for
this move was to prevent any possible misunderstanding and dismiss
ill-intentioned interpretations related to his attendance at a
commemoration for the victims of the Bleiburg and Way of the Cross
tragedies, when he was prevented from making a speech. #L#
In the open letter, Tomac quoted the speech he failed to make at the
commemoration.
"Even though I am here as an envoy of the Croatian Sabor and although
I am speaking on behalf of the Croatian Sabor, allow me to say a few
words as a former member of the Communist League. I wish to express
these sentences as my moral obligation to the descendants of the
victims for whom the communists are responsible for. Even though at
the time of Bleiburg I was a child and although I personally am not
responsible for these crimes and was a member of the Communist
League when crimes were not committed, I feel the need in this place
of horror for the Croatian nation to sincerely accept my part of the
moral responsibility for the crime and persecution that the
communists committed after World War II and ask the families of the
victims to accept my sincere apologies and regret," Tomac said.
Tomac reminded that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) apologised
for the communist oppression with a declaration back in 1990, and
this year Prime Minister offered an apology on behalf of the
Croatian government.
"I therefore expect all those who claim that they love Croatia to
sincerely bow to the victims of Jasenovac, Bleiburg and Ovcara and
stop using them for daily political struggles for power," Tomac
said, stressing that an apology for the crimes committed after
World War II did not mean at the same time the negation of the anti-
fascist foundations of the modern-day Croatia.
"Condemning the crimes committed by the communists does not negate
the anti-fascist struggle nor the credits of the partisan movement.
Nevertheless, the crimes and terror of communism must not be
concealed or justified with those credits but must be condemned, so
that we can remove the stain from Croatia's anti-fascist
foundations," Tomac said. He also believes that convicting those
guilty of the crimes in the Homeland War does not necessarily
criminalise the Homeland War but removes the dark stain on it, which
he said was how Ustasha crimes should be treated as well.
Tomac believes that his visit and apology at Bleiburg is not only a
thorn in the side of the "Red", but also of the "Black", who he said
organised the incident in an effort to prevent dialogue and renew
ideological struggles from the past. These people told me that I had
no right to go to Bleiburg and I later even received letters with
similar messages, accusing me and the government of oppression
against Croats, Tomac writes in his letter.
In the open letter to the Croatian public, Tomac thanked the large
number of citizens and participants in the Bleiburg commemoration
and others who showed support for his stands.
(hina) sp rml sb