ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Saturday described his visit to Israel as very successful, dismissing claims his apology to the Jewish people is premature. "I don't know why the apology would be premature.
We have diplomatic relations with Israel, but there were also some drags which had to be removed - my visit closed that chapter and we should leave the past to historians," Mesic told reporters commenting on media claims that his apology to Jews was premature. Addressing reporters after his regular monthly meeting with citizens at his office, Mesic said, "I have apologised to all those who suffered at the hands of Croats in history, including Jews. I stated quite clearly that it was not possible to blame the entire Croatian people. Individuals committed crimes and they should answer for them." The apology to the Jewish people is a moral act, which opens prospects for cooperation between t
ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Saturday
described his visit to Israel as very successful, dismissing claims
his apology to the Jewish people is premature.
"I don't know why the apology would be premature. We have diplomatic
relations with Israel, but there were also some drags which had to
be removed - my visit closed that chapter and we should leave the
past to historians," Mesic told reporters commenting on media
claims that his apology to Jews was premature.
Addressing reporters after his regular monthly meeting with
citizens at his office, Mesic said, "I have apologised to all those
who suffered at the hands of Croats in history, including Jews. I
stated quite clearly that it was not possible to blame the entire
Croatian people. Individuals committed crimes and they should
answer for them."
The apology to the Jewish people is a moral act, which opens
prospects for cooperation between the two countries, he said.
Asked about new evidence in the "Rojnica case" handed to him by the
director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Efraim Zuroff, Mesic said
he had handed the evidence to Chief State Prosecutor Radovan
Ortynski, but it was not up to him to assess it.
The President dismissed media claims that the text of the apology he
read in the Israeli parliament had been changed at Zuroff's
proposal. "That is speculation... I have not been suggested
anything. I read the text of the apology as written by me and my
associates and approved by me," Mesic said.
Commenting on headlines saying a number of failures occurred in the
protocol of his visit, Mesic said failures were unavoidable as the
visit was relatively long. He added that the Israeli side was
responsible for the failures.
The President confirmed he would pay an official visit to the United
States at the invitation of President George Bush, and that he would
attend a session of the UN General Assembly. Mesic said he would
meet President Bush and probably Yaser Arafat.
The President confirmed having spoken with Italian President
Ciampi on the phone last night. The talks concerned the text of a
friendship agreement between the two countries, he said, refusing
to comment on the document as it was only a working version.
He also refused to comment on repeated inquiries as to whether
Ciampi had announced the withdrawal of his decision to bestow a
decoration on the Italian fascist government of Zadar.
"I really cannot confirm that, but I can say that I am satisfied with
my talks with the Italian President," Mesic said.
(hina) rml