ALL PARTIES BACK GOVT'S INTENTION TO ENTER LEGAL DISPUTE WITH ICTY

ZAGREB, Sept 27 (Hina) - All the parliamentary parties on Friday supported the government, which announced that it would enter a legal dispute with the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal over its indictment against General Janko Bobetko. #L# The parties in the ruling coalition do not support the request of the opposition that proceedings be also launched for the alteration of the country's constitutional law on cooperation with the ICTY and for a referendum at which citizens should give their opinion on cooperation with the tribunal. Prior to this parliamentary session, the Croatian government refuted possibilities for changing said law as it believes that the international community and the ICTY would treat such a move as political confrontation which might also result in Croatia's isolation. The government announced it was going to enter the legal dispute within the continuation of its cooperation with the tribunal. The parliamentary parties were unanimous in calling on Croatian generals to cease accusing each other in the media. The opposition and the ruling parties, however, disagree on what Zagreb's new strategy towards the tribunal should be. The opposition believes the new strategy should primarily include changes to the constitutional law, and asks the government to treat previous indictments from The Hague like the Bobetko indictment. The parties from the ruling coalition said during the debate that the new strategy implied the processing of all war crimes before national courts, which Croatia had so far failed to do both in peace or war. (hina) ms sb