ZAGREB, July 17 (Hina) - On Tuesday afternoon the Croatian parliament resumed a discussion whether a referendum should be called on the Homeland Wart veterans' rights so that they should be exempted from any criminal accountability
for their acts in the war for independence in early 1990s. The headquarters for the defence of dignity of the Homeland War has collected 400,000 signatures of citizens in a petition for the referendum. At the proposal of the bench of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), the debate was adjourned for two hours to defuse tensions caused by "the inflammatory speech" of Drago Krpina, a representative of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). The HSS bench criticised Krpina over his speech and the above-mentioned headquarters over its leaflets delivered to MPs, which the HSS representatives described as calls for showing intolerance and hatred. Ljubica Lalic of the HSS said that in the leaflets t
ZAGREB, July 17 (Hina) - On Tuesday afternoon the Croatian
parliament resumed a discussion whether a referendum should be
called on the Homeland Wart veterans' rights so that they should be
exempted from any criminal accountability for their acts in the war
for independence in early 1990s.
The headquarters for the defence of dignity of the Homeland War has
collected 400,000 signatures of citizens in a petition for the
referendum.
At the proposal of the bench of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS),
the debate was adjourned for two hours to defuse tensions caused by
"the inflammatory speech" of Drago Krpina, a representative of the
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
The HSS bench criticised Krpina over his speech and the above-
mentioned headquarters over its leaflets delivered to MPs, which
the HSS representatives described as calls for showing intolerance
and hatred.
Ljubica Lalic of the HSS said that in the leaflets the headquarters
asked for toppling the incumbent authorities, and threatened to
take leaders of the current authorities before courts for their
treason.
The headquarters labelled MPs as dwarfs of the ruling coalition,
Lalic said and asked that association whether it thought the same
about the people who elected the incumbent authorities. She also
asserted that the aim of such claims was to destabilise Croatia.
Vilim Herman of the Croatian Social Liberals (HSLS) bench, believes
that the purpose of such labels and claims was to create a framework
for not recognising the state institutions and the rule of law.
According to Vladimir Seks of the HDZ bench, the speech of his party
colleague, Krpina, was an expression of political differences and
remarks which may be heard in the parliamentarism.
Seks denied assessments that Krpina's speech might inspire hatred
and jeopardise the highest values of the constitutional order and
the rule of law.
On behalf of the Social Democrats (SDP) bench, Mato Arlovic voiced
disappointment over HDZ's failure to apologise for Krpina's
speech. Arlovic regarded Krpina's statement that Croatia's
President, Premier and Sabor Speaker were traitors as
impermissible.
Seks retorted saying that it was unacceptable that (Prime Minister
Ivica) Racan labelled HDZ as those who brought Croatia into
isolation and described this party as an aggressive minority which
pushed the country in the quagmire of the Balkans.
Ante Djapic of the Croatian Party of Rights/Croatian Christian
Democratic Union (HSP/HKDU) regarded such political tones as the
result of differences in views of parliamentary benches. According
to him, such different political assessments were normal in
discussions on the motion for the referendum which Djapic assessed
as one of the most dramatic topics which the Sabor had discussed in
the recent years.
On Tuesday morning Krpina triggered strong reactions after he
accused top representatives of authorities of being guilty for
"unnatural situation in the country."
In this context Krpina pointed to President Stjepan Mesic because,
as Krpina claimed, he had testified before the UN war crimes
tribunal (ICTY) against his homeland, and because he had equated
Croatian soldiers with greater Serbian fascists and because he
asserted that everybody should apologise to everybody.
Krpina pointed to Premier Racan because, as this HDZ MP said, he
described that last 10 years during which Croatia had been created,
as an era of darkness and missed chances, and because he labelled
disabled war veterans as public enemies who wanted to carry out a
coup.
Krpina singled out the president of one parliamentary party (Vesna
Pusic of the People's Party, HNS), who according to him, accused her
own motherland of having launched aggression against other country
(Bosnia-Herzegovina).
The leaflets delivered in front of the Sabor building, read that the
acceptance of (ICTY's) indictments against two Croatian generals -
Rahim Ademi and Ante Gotovina - presented the violation of
Croatia's constitution.
"Who else, except (President Stjepan) Mesic, (Premier Ivica)
Racan, (HNS party's leader Vesna) Pusic ..., could have imagined
that the purest commanders and heroes will be prosecuted and
imprisoned as war criminals? You can easily imagine how the
Croatian people will conduct after the change of authorities in the
near future," read the leaflets.
According to the leaflets, this association (the headquarters)
accuses members of the ruling parties of betraying the Croatian
national interests and violation of the Constitution and therefore
they will be taken before courts.
(hina) sb ms