OPPOSITION PARTY AGAINST COMMANDING-OBJECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY

ZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) maintains that all who committed war crimes must be prosecuted at the UN tribunal in The Hague, but does not accept commanding- objective responsibility, party president Ivo Sanader said on Tuesday. #L# Sanader was commenting on media speculation in connection with new indictments from the tribunal and the mentioning of the name of Gen. Janko Bobetko. "A commander cannot be held accountable only because he is at the top of the chain of command but did not order a crime some soldier committed," Sanader told reporters. This kind of approach towards the Hague tribunal makes the HDZ different from the incumbent authorities, he said. "According to that logic, many politicians should be held accountable, including former President Franjo Tudjman," Sanader said, adding that this constituted the politicising of the UN tribunal. To avoid politicising, the HDZ two weeks ago moved a bill of amendments to the Constitutional Law on cooperation with the Hague tribunal, in an attempt to urge the Croatian judiciary to examine if indictments are justified before deciding on extradition, Sanader recalled. He called on the authorities and the opposition to endorse the motion. "What kind of politics allows Croatian generals, Janko Bobetko in this case, to be the topic of speculation, perhaps even indictments, again," wondered Sanader, stating that all should abide by the Declaration on the Homeland War which states that the 1990s war was a just, legitimate, and defence war. Sanader said the HDZ dismissed President Stjepan Mesic's statement that all were guilty and that all should apologise to all. In that case the truth about the Homeland War would be turned upside down, he asserted. (hina) ha sb