ZAGREB, July 30 (Hina) - In a statement on Tuesday the Croatian President's Office points out that in his criticism of the Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) regime President Stjepan Mesic did not slander his own country abroad as was
recently brought out by the non-parliamentary party - Croatian True Revival (HIP). Instead the incumbent head of state analysed the behaviour of a government that dragged Croatia backwards in all fields.
ZAGREB, July 30 (Hina) - In a statement on Tuesday the Croatian
President's Office points out that in his criticism of the Croatian
Democratic Union's (HDZ) regime President Stjepan Mesic did not
slander his own country abroad as was recently brought out by the
non-parliamentary party - Croatian True Revival (HIP). Instead the
incumbent head of state analysed the behaviour of a government that
dragged Croatia backwards in all fields. #L#
"To critically refer to that time and to its leading protagonists
does not mean to 'slander' Croatia but to analyse the behaviour of
government that dragged Croatia backward in all fields to that
measure that we are still struggling with its negative
repercussions and will have to do so in the foreseeable future," the
statement says.
HIP President Miroslav Tudjman made a statement two days ago
protesting against Mesic's presentation in Berlin when the
president said, that in the first ten years of its existence,
Croatia had not truly been pluralistic nor a lawful state but that
during that time everything depended on one party and its leaders.
HIP believes that President Mesic offended the Croatian people and
damaged the reputation of the country which he brought down to a
political colony of certain international interest circles.
The President's Office emphasised that it was HIP's legitimate
right to attempt to earn political points so that it could try and
come out from the political periphery and enter mainstream
political movements.
However, when a group of nostalgic persons from a time that cannot
return do so to misinform the public, then that requires a reaction,
the President's Office said.
The statement notes that it is understandable that Miroslav Tudjman
finds it difficult due to family connections to deal with the truth
and the true nature of the government that was led by his father and
in which he himself took party however, this is his problem.
It, however, becomes a problem for our entire public, when Miroslav
Tudjman equalises the HDZ regime with the country, just like the
former government used to.
Franjo Tudjman was the president of Croatia but he was not Croatia.
The HDZ was the ruling party in Croatia but it was not Croatia, the
statement signed by the President's Office Secretary Zeljko Bagic
notes.
(hina) sp ms