ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - A national coordinating body of 14 war veterans' associations is shocked by President Stjepan Mesic's recent address in connection with a war crimes indictment against Gen. Janko Bobetko. The body maintains
that Mesic has completely strained political relations in the country, even though his basic task is to pacify and stabilise the internal political scene.
ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - A national coordinating body of 14 war
veterans' associations is shocked by President Stjepan Mesic's
recent address in connection with a war crimes indictment against
Gen. Janko Bobetko. The body maintains that Mesic has completely
strained political relations in the country, even though his basic
task is to pacify and stabilise the internal political scene. #L#
Mesic's address has undermined the government's position to The
Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal, the coordinating body said in a
statement on Thursday.
The statement strongly protests against the fact that Mesic, by
claiming that crimes were definitely committed, prejudged
investigations, thus directly influencing investigative and
judicial bodies.
"We veterans, who defended this state and succeeded in doing so,
want it to be arranged by the standards of Croatian citizens and
preserved for future generations, without the mortgage of crime,
for the simple reason that we did not build it on crime. We are aware
of the gravity of the political moment we are in, and shall not allow
everything we created with great effort to be lost overnight due to
rash, anti-Croat standpoints," read the statement.
Vehemently slamming Mesic's address, the body called on volunteers
and veterans, as well as all Croatian citizens, "to protect
national dignity, but also to fight for the truth about the Homeland
War, as that is the only way they can preserve Croatia."
(hina) ha sb