POLITICAL PARTIES REACT TO EU PROTEST NOTE

ZAGREB, Oct 12 (Hina) - Some political parties on Saturday commented on Croatia's relation towards the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague and reacted to a European Union protest note delivered to Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Friday in connection with Croatia's commitments towards the tribunal. #L# The president of the ruling coalition's Croatian Peasant Party (HSS), Zlatko Tomcic, said that any overstated insisting on the immediate extradition of General Janko Bobetko to the Hague tribunal diminished Croatia's rights to use legal proceedings at its disposal under the tribunal's statute and rules. Croatia cannot renounce the right to pose certain legal doubts to which it is entitled to under the Hague tribunal's statute and rules of procedure, Tomcic said after a session of the HSS Presidency, commenting on demands from the EU protest note. In Bobetko's case, Tomcic said that alongside the legal aspect, what was coming to the fore was the fact that the general, against whom the Hague tribunal has filed an indictment, was very old (83) and in poor condition. Tomcic voiced hope there was still a chance that Croatia, the tribunal and the entire international community would find a solution acceptable to all. The president of the Istrian Democratic Assembly, Damir Kajin, said this ruling coalition party was against any intervention into the constitutional law on Croatia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal as this would be interpreted as "Croatia's entering a political dispute with The Hague." "Croatia has no chance of winning that dispute. It can only get sanctions and isolation," Kajin told reporters. He was confident "Prime Minister Racan is in control of the situation" and that he would call new elections before allowing the country to become isolated. Kajin reiterated that Croatia had been implicated in the 1990s war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. "Unfortunately, Croatia is yet to face indictments from The Hague which will refer to Croatia's engagement in Bosnia. There is no doubt that was this state's most disgraceful adventure, afforded by the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and the late Defence Minister Gojko Susak," he said. "HSLS objects to the extradition of Janko Bobetko to the Hague tribunal on such an indictment," said Drazen Budisa, the president of the opposition's Social Liberals (HSLS). HSLS has assessed all the gravity of the EU protest note but Croatia must persevere in its stance, Budisa told reporters following a session of the HSLS Governing Council which focused on preparations for elections. (hina) ha sb