PM ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT REGARDING INDICTED GENERAL

ZAGREB, Nov 15 (Hina) - Addressing parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Ivica Racan reiterated the government would continue cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. He also stated the government would not tolerate behaviour of the kind recently seen in front of General Janko Bobetko's house. #L# The government will cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslvia despite imputations and lack of understanding from abroad, said Racan. He stated the government would persevere in protecting the values of the struggle for independence and the Homeland War, both from those identifying that struggle with crimes and from those who wanted to use the Homeland War as an easy cover for impermissible actions, including war crimes. The Croatian Democratic Union's Ljubo Cesic Rojs told the Prime Minister he could have given guarantees that Bobetko would not be served with the ICTY indictment while in hospital three weeks ago, when the government received the indictment. He also criticised Racan for allegedly saying on Wednesday evening that NATO's Stabilisation Force (SFOR) would come in front of Bobetko's house. Racan responsed by saying Croatia was a law-based state and that behaviour of the kind seen in front the the 83-year-old general's house would not be tolerated. The government will not tolerate such behaviour or threats from people and those who organised them to the effect that "chestnut pickers would not be only picking chestnuts", the PM said referring to representatives of war veterans' associations who had been stationed in front of the general's house, allegedly guarding him. He branded claims that SFOR would be sent in front of Bobetko's house as imputations. Using the SFOR to introduce order in independent Croatia, despite the bodies Croatia has, is the last thing the government would think of doing, Racan told Rojs. (hina) ha sb