ZAGREB, Nov 29 (Hina) - A vice-president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Jadranka Kosor, has stated that the ICTY Appeals Chamber's decision to reject the Croatian government's appeals to the indictment against and the warrant
for the arrest of General Janko Bobetko was disappointing and the party would decide on measures it intended to take as part of the Opposition at a session of its National Committee on Saturday.
ZAGREB, Nov 29 (Hina) - A vice-president of the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ), Jadranka Kosor, has stated that the ICTY Appeals
Chamber's decision to reject the Croatian government's appeals to
the indictment against and the warrant for the arrest of General
Janko Bobetko was disappointing and the party would decide on
measures it intended to take as part of the Opposition at a session
of its National Committee on Saturday. #L#
Kosor repeated that claims in the International Criminal Tribunal
for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indictments against Croatian generals
were unfounded because they revised Croatia's recent history and
the Homeland War.
Croatian Bloc leader Ivic Pasalic believes a mistake was made back
in early 2000 when the parliamentary majority adopted a decision
confirming the ICTY's jurisdiction over the Storm and Flash
operations even though legal proceedings challenging the
Tribunal's jurisdiction had already been underway, having been
initiated by the former government, which claimed that the
operations were legitimate anti-terrorist actions of a sovereign
state and as such and in keeping with international protocols did
not fall under the ICTY's jurisdiction.
Libra whip Ivo Skrabalo said the government had exhausted all legal
means at its disposal and that following the decision of the Appeals
Chamber proceedings needed to be continued in keeping with the ICTY
statute, Croatian legislation and the constitutional law on co-
operation with the ICTY.
The chairman of the parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and
member of the Social Democratic Party's (SDP) Main Committee,
Zdravko Tomac, deeply believes that most ICTY indictments against
Croatian generals have no legal basis but are politically
motivated.
"I still believe that we are right when we say that "Storm" and other
operations were aimed at liberating the country from the occupying
forces and that their purpose was not genocide or ethnic
cleansing," Tomac added.
Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) whip Luka Trconic stated that
Croatia needed to undertake serious measures through the UN
Security Council to caution about the ICTY's practice of replacing
legal facts and individual responsibility with politics and
judgements.
The spokesman for the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Boris
Blazekovic, said that the Appeal Chamber's decision at the moment
seemed irrelevant because the government had already forwarded the
indictment against Bobetko to the Zagreb County Court, while a
medical team had established that Bobetko was unfit for trial due to
his poor condition.
Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) leader Drazen Budisa made a
brief statement expressing regret about the Chamber's decision.
(hina) sp rml sb