ZAGREB, March 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic said Friday he would relieve General Petar Stipetic (Croatian Army Chief-of-Staff) from concealing state secrets, so he could defend himself "with the truth". Commenting on an
announcement that international war crimes tribunal investigators would question Stipetic on March 16, Mesic said Stipetic would most probably bee questioned in the capacity of a suspect. Speaking at a conference of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) focusing on the fate of General Stipetic, Mesic stressed quilt for war crimes should be individualised in order to remove the notion of collective guilt. Regarding a recent indictment issued by the war crimes tribunal for attacks on Dubrovnik, the President said it was in the interest of justice to try those responsible for the act. He expressed conviction (former Yugoslav President) Slobodan Milosevic will be apprehended and brou
ZAGREB, March 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic said Friday
he would relieve General Petar Stipetic (Croatian Army Chief-of-
Staff) from concealing state secrets, so he could defend himself
"with the truth".
Commenting on an announcement that international war crimes
tribunal investigators would question Stipetic on March 16, Mesic
said Stipetic would most probably bee questioned in the capacity of
a suspect.
Speaking at a conference of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO)
focusing on the fate of General Stipetic, Mesic stressed quilt for
war crimes should be individualised in order to remove the notion of
collective guilt.
Regarding a recent indictment issued by the war crimes tribunal for
attacks on Dubrovnik, the President said it was in the interest of
justice to try those responsible for the act.
He expressed conviction (former Yugoslav President) Slobodan
Milosevic will be apprehended and brought before the Hague-based
tribunal as an organiser of the war and a person responsible for
genocide and war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
This is why he can only be tried in The Hague, not in Belgrade.
Asked about the role of Montenegrin President (former Montenegrin
Premier during the war) Milo Djukanovic in the attacks, Mesic said
Djukanovic has distanced himself from Milosevic's policy and has
apologised for the crimes in Dubrovnik committed by Montenegrins
and confirmed Croatia's southernmost peninsula of Prevlaka was a
security, not territorial issue.
The President also assessed that the situation of human rights in
Croatia was far better than a year ago, thanks to the functioning of
the law-based state, and called on non-government organisations to
be more active in their protection.
(hina) lml sb