CROATIA'S COOPERATION WITH HAGUE TRIBUNAL AGAIN RAISES CRITICISM

ZAGREB, Jan 10 (Hina) - Several non-government associations and political parties on Wednesday warned the government to keep track of Croatian state interests during talks with representatives of the Hague-based international war crimes tribunal. The association for promoting Croatia's identity and prosperity, a founder of which was the son of the late Croatian president Franjo Tudjman, Miroslav Tudjman, holds the "unprincipled" cooperation with the tribunal jeopardised "the foundations of the Croatian state created in the Homeland Defence War". The arrival of ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte to Zagreb on January 15, on the anniversary of Croatia's international recognition, shows "utter lack of sensitivity" for the event, the association asserted. Chairman of the association's steering committee, Andria Hebrang, told a news conference he was doubtful of the success of solving open issues in relations between Croatia and the Hague tribunal due to "the increasingly stronger politicisation of the tribunal and increasing criminalisation of the war-time government and Croatian armed forces command". Asked why crimes committed during the Homeland Defence War were not processed, Hebrang said the then government did not meddle into the work of the judiciary, but nevertheless numerous documents were submitted. He added he cannot say why suspects were not processed based on the documents. Hebrang categorically dismissed claims the late president Tudjman and defence minister Gojko Susak interrupted the court processing of war crimes. The association Croatian Identity and Prosperity (HIP) and the Central Headquarters for the Protection of the Dignity of the Homeland Defence War will suggest the forming of an investigative centre for war crimes committed in the defence of Croatia, the association's president Miroslav Tudjman said. According to him, the centre would function as a non-government organisation, gathering evidence, probing cases and enabling charges for crimes. Experts and representatives of Homeland War associations will be involved in the work of the centre, he announced. One of the leaders of the association, former editor-in-chief of Zagreb's daily Vjesnik, Nenad Ivankovic, said the state prosecutor's office has as yet done nothing about charges levelled by the HONOS association against President Mesic for having published "documents bearing the markings of a state secret " and their being submitted to the Hague tribunal. Some non-parliamentary political parties, members of the Croatian Opposition Council (HOV) also raised their voice Wednesday regarding the same issue. They announced a complaint to the Constitutional Court against President Mesic for "high treason and espionage" because, as they put it, Mesic "gave foreign and domestic reporters a great number of transcripts marked as state secret". President of the Central Headquarters for the Defence of the Dignity of the Homeland Defence War, Lieutenant Colonel Mirko Condic told a news conference the government should "preserve the dignity of Croatian defence soldiers, people and the homeland" during talks with Carla Del Ponte. Condic called on the government not to concede to settlements which would prove to be harmful to Croatia, and to resist all unjust requests of the Hague tribunal. The Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HKDU) also reacted to the date of Del Ponte's arrival to Zagreb in an open letter to Prime Minister Ivica Racan. The party said it was "inappropriate" for Racan to be meeting the tribunal's chief prosecutor on January 15, the day when Croatia was recognised as a sovereign and independent state. (hina) lml sb