ZAGREB, July 16 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan urged parliamentary deputies on Monday to try to adopt common conclusions after a discussion on cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY). Answering a question by Ivo Sanader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) whether the government has enough strength, political willingness and support for the implementation of its own conclusions and those of the parliament, Racan answered "the government has enough strength to persist in the struggle for the values which we all want to defend, especially in the light of last night's vote of confidence in the government." It was, and still is, Croatia's wish to determine individual responsibility for committed crimes, thus providing the real picture of the Homeland War and the truth that we want to defend in Croatia and before the international community, Racan said. Parli
ZAGREB, July 16 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan urged
parliamentary deputies on Monday to try to adopt common conclusions
after a discussion on cooperation with the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Answering a question by Ivo Sanader of the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ) whether the government has enough strength, political
willingness and support for the implementation of its own
conclusions and those of the parliament, Racan answered "the
government has enough strength to persist in the struggle for the
values which we all want to defend, especially in the light of last
night's vote of confidence in the government."
It was, and still is, Croatia's wish to determine individual
responsibility for committed crimes, thus providing the real
picture of the Homeland War and the truth that we want to defend in
Croatia and before the international community, Racan said.
Parliamentary benches would help the government by adopting common
conclusions. This way, the government would be more effective in
defending its views before the Hague Tribunal, said Racan.
He stressed that there were numerous means, from political and
diplomatic ones to direct presence in the Tribunal's procedures,
Croatia could use to defend itself from unacceptable political
assessments.
The government has done a lot in that regard in the past 15 months.
We have contested some issues, and we have asked the Hague
prosecution for adequate facts highlighting that the evacuation of
Serbs did not happen as a result of expulsion, but was planned by the
leaders of the phantom Republic of Serb Krajina, Racan said.
He added that the government had sent to The Hague detailed
documentation on the crimes committed against Croats. In the
following eight days, the government will send new documents which
will pinpoint the responsibility of Milosevic, Martic and others
for the crimes in Croatia, he said.
Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic pointed to two basic
directions of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal - the change of
legal regulations and the examination of facts.
The change of legal regulations which the government wishes to
achieve refers to some regulations of the Hague Statute
particularly those where the Hague Tribunal takes precedence over
national jurisdiction.
Ivanisevic sees the framework for the change of those regulations
in the Rome Statute which regulates the establishment of an
international criminal tribunal and which gives precedence to
domestic judiciary.
Croatia is advocating a change in the Statute by which the principle
of commanding responsibility would be used only in case of a direct
order to commit a crime.
With regards to the concrete indictments which arrived from The
Hague, the government will form a team of experts which will take
part in the defence of the indictees and intervene in case of
politically unacceptable assessments.
(hina) np rml