ZAGREB, Sept 27 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Friday morning resumed its session, which was for two days postponed, and the at start of today's sitting the Sabor opened a discussion on the implementation of the constitutional
law on cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal after this tribunal issued an indictment against General Janko Bobetko, which the government, with high consensus of parliamentary parties, regards as a document contrary to the Croatian constitution.
ZAGREB, Sept 27 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Friday morning
resumed its session, which was for two days postponed, and the at
start of today's sitting the Sabor opened a discussion on the
implementation of the constitutional law on cooperation with the UN
war crimes tribunal after this tribunal issued an indictment
against General Janko Bobetko, which the government, with high
consensus of parliamentary parties, regards as a document contrary
to the Croatian constitution. #L#
On Wednesday and Thursday, MPs were not convened according to
guarantees which Croatian Premier Ivica Racan last week gave
assuring that the government would not make any decision on the
Bobetko indictment without agreement with the Sabor.
In the last two days, the government held talks with parliamentary
benches and legal experts and diplomats.
The parliamentary benches of opposition parties and the ruling
coalition reached a high degree of consensus on assessing that the
indictment issued by the Hague-based tribunal against Bobetko was
unacceptable for Croatia.
The Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book and the
Political System on Thursday supported the government's decision
to enter a legal dispute with the tribunal regarding the Bobetko
indictment.
The indictment, the committee said, ignores the Constitution and
the constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia and brings into
question the sovereignty of a state and its obligation to protect
its citizens from terrorism, which is contrary to UN charters and
Security Council resolutions.
The committee assessed that the constitutionality of the Bobetko
indictment was within the jurisdiction of the Constitutional
Court. The government will ask the said court of its opinion on the
matter, after today's parliamentary debate.
Zagreb emphasised it would enter a legal and not political dispute
with the UN tribunal.
In a bid to avoid political arguing with the international
community, the government has announced it will not change the
constitutional law on cooperation with the tribunal, although
alterations were requested by opposition HDZ and DC parties.
During the legal dispute Zagreb will try to refute the definition
which the indictment has given about the 1993 liberating operation
in the Medak Pocket. The government will prove that the military
operation in the Medak Pocket was not directed to the ethnic
cleansing, but that it was a legitimate anti-terrorist operation
which lasted less than 12 hours.
(hina) ms