ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - The leaders of the Democratic Centre (DC) party said on Wednesday that they were likely to raise in parliament the question of responsibility of President Stjepan Mesic, "if he continues to give statements
about the Hague-based tribunal that are contrary to the government's statements and are detrimental to Croatia".
ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - The leaders of the Democratic Centre (DC)
party said on Wednesday that they were likely to raise in parliament
the question of responsibility of President Stjepan Mesic, "if he
continues to give statements about the Hague-based tribunal that
are contrary to the government's statements and are detrimental to
Croatia". #L#
This was stated at a news conference by the DC's president and vice-
president, Mate Granic and Vesna Skare Ozbolt.
According to the party officials, Mesic's statements "on the
General Bobetko case" are destroying unity in the country, which
they claim has not been achieved since the referendum on Croatia's
independence.
Granic said that the government was facing a difficult battle in the
legal dispute with the U.N. war crimes tribunal and that Croatia
would be exposed to great international pressures. "President
Mesic is making this more difficult with his statements, because he
is paralysing Croatia's diplomacy which cannot lobby due to the
opposite stands of the government and the President," Granic said.
Skare Ozbolt reiterated that at yesterday's meeting between Prime
Minister Ivica Racan and representatives of parliamentary benches,
she had asked Racan whether the government, parliament and the
president had different stands on "the Bobetko case". According to
her, Racan answered that he could not entirely influence statements
by the head of state, but that he would speak to him.
The DC believes it is intolerable that the prime minister and the
head of state failed to make unanimous statements the day the ICTY
indictment against Bobetko was made public. Skare Ozbolt reminded
that the prime minister advocated consultations with the
parliament regarding the indictment procedure, while President
Mesic advocated unconditional cooperation with the tribunal and
the acceptance of the indictment. The DC is therefore curious about
Mesic's address to the nation, announced to take place this
evening, she said.
The party believes that the crisis in the country is the deepest one
the coalition authorities have faced so far. It also believes that
it is intolerable that the prime minister and the head of state have
failed to call a session of the state national security council to
discuss the issue.
Granic said it was good that the government entered a legal dispute
with the Hague tribunal over "the Bobetko case". He, however,
believes that the government must amend the constitutional law on
cooperation with the ICTY in order to obtain a firmer legal basis
for the presentation of its stand before the U.N. Security Council.
This way, Granic said, Croatia would have less difficulty proving
to the international community that the indictment was unfounded.
He added, however, that the government had to remain committed to
cooperation with the ICTY.
Persons responsible for crimes committed during the Medak Pocket
operation should be brought to justice, Granic said, warning about
the inefficiency of the Croatian judiciary. The DC believes that
General Bobetko neither planned nor committed crimes in the
legitimate military operation of the Croatian Armed Forces, Granic
said.
(hina) it sb