ZAGREB, Feb 16 (Hina) - A society of retired Croatian generals called "VIRIBUS UNITIS" a few days ago forwarded a letter to the Croatian parliament's internal affairs and national security committee, proposing the adoption of a law on
the protection of the Homeland Defence War and the establishment of an institute for the scholarly research and collection of documentation about Croatia's war for independence.
ZAGREB, Feb 16 (Hina) - A society of retired Croatian generals
called "VIRIBUS UNITIS" a few days ago forwarded a letter to the
Croatian parliament's internal affairs and national security
committee, proposing the adoption of a law on the protection of the
Homeland Defence War and the establishment of an institute for the
scholarly research and collection of documentation about Croatia's
war for independence.#L#
The letter, the contents of which Hina got on Friday night, assessed
that "the Homeland Defence War is criminalised also when war-time
situations and events are interpreted as civilian ones and when
certain events and operations are seen as if they had happened in
the civilian ambience under normal conditions of life, outside the
real context, war conditions, circumstances and psychology.
Unfortunately, this (misinterpretation) now happens too much often
in Croatia."
"All of this leads to serious and dangerous manipulation with
incalculable consequences as regards the truth and people who took
part in the said events. It eventually leads to the criminalisation
of the sheer idea of Croatia's freedom and independence," the
letter read.
According to the letter signed by nine generals, it is necessary to
get the facts straight to prevent such situations. It is possible to
establish the facts only if the people involved in the events in
question - namely responsible persons for concrete war events (war
commanders at all levels) - are asked to give statements about
them.
The current situation, concerning the conduct of media, political
and even judicial bodies, unfortunately, shows that we are far from
the fair and correct procedure for the establishment of the facts
and thus of the truth about the acts of most responsible persons in
the Homeland Defence War, the generals wrote in the letter.
Furthermore, the one-sided and superficial approach to the war
leads to "the breach of constitutional rights of participants in
the Homeland Defence War," the letter read.
That's why the generals' society asks that in any concrete case
pertaining to the legal, moral or other responsibility of
commanders and soldiers, relevant bodies (the committee,
parliament and other state bodies) should be bound to ask, as the
first step, the protagonists about their opinion on the event in
question and circumstances under which they had acted, commanded
and made decisions at that time.
Regarding it as the interest of national security and protection of
citizens' rights, the parliamentary committee should propose to
the Sabor to decide that prior to providing international
institutions, judiciary and media with information (on some war-
related events), all competent bodies first inform those to whom
information or accusations may refer, in detailed and prudent
manner.
The generals asked the committee to launch an initiative for the
adoption of a law on the protection of the Homeland Defence War as
the only instrument necessary to thwart the criminalisation of the
war for independence.
They asked the committee to launch an initiative for the
establishment of an institute for research and collection of
documentation pertaining to the war.
The signatories also asked the committee to call them to a session
at which it would consider their demands, so that they could further
expound their requests.
The head of the "VIRIBUS UNITIS" society, Janko Bobetko has told
Hina that besides him, other eight generals who signed the letter
are Davor Domazet Loso, Kresimir Cosic, Ivan Basarac, Ante
Gotovina, Ivan Kapular, Ivan Korade, Damir Krsticevic and Milenko
Filipovic.
(hina) ms