PRESIDENT MESIC GIVES INTERVIEW TO CROATIAN TELEVISION

ZAGREB, April 18 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic granted an interview to the flagship news programme of the Croatian Television on Monday evening. Asked by the editor of "Dnevnik" Dubravko Merlic, to comment on the sale of "Vecernji List", President Mesic said a parliamentary commission of inquiry, set up by the Sabor to clarify conditions of the purchase of this Croatian daily with the greatest circulation, had done a job well and helped conclude the inquiry. Now one can wonder how much it is necessary for the commission to continue with its role, as the case (of Vecernji List's sale) is currently for law-enforcement bodies to deal with it, Mesic said commenting on the latest information about the purchase and owners of Vecernji List. Asked whether there were criminal activities during the purchase of this daily, Mesic replied that it was too early to speak of this and it is now up to the "bodies whom it concerns" to establish the facts. "I have enough information to be able to say that this has been a notorious swindle," Mesic said. Asked whether it means that "Montmontaza GmbH" and "Auto-Kuca Zubak" were not actually the real owners of the Caritas Fund Limited (an organisation that bought the majority package of shares of Vecernji List during the Christmas and New Year holidays in 1997/1998), the President replied that they had taken over a part of businesses from those persons whose names were mentioned during the work of the parliamentary commission. "It was abuse of office" but the police and judiciary should now establish what had exactly happened, Mesic said adding that top officials of former Croatian authorities were involved in the matter. Asked whether investigative procedures could jeopardise the destiny of employees with this Croatian daily, Mesic said he did not think that workers should face consequences of all that business. He assessed the staff in the daily had worked very well all the time and other things had occurred without their influence. Commenting on the arrival of investigators of the Hague-based International Tribunal in Gospic (central Croatia), Mesic said he had always asserted that "as far as Croatia is concerned, the Hague Tribunal would not have been necessary, had state mechanisms functioned like they function in a law-based state." They (mechanisms) have not functioned, and there is the question why we should await till this day and the engagement of the Hague Tribunal for probes in something that took place 10 years ago, he wondered. The Croatian President insists on the individualisation of guilt and "when concrete Serbs, Bosniaks (Moslems) and Croats are held accountable (for their actions), the collective accusations will cease," and "only then we shall enjoy peace in this region," Mesic stressed. Asked whether he possessed any information about events in Gospic while he was the then President of the Presidency of former Yugoslavia (SFRY) in 1991, Mesic answered that not before 1992 he received a data from a man whose relative had gone missing. He recalled that in 1991 a crisis committee called on people to return and resume their jobs, but when some of the called had not come back (namely they went missing) their families asked about their whereabouts. Mesic added that he had requested from the then (Croatian) Prime Minister and police to establish the facts but police had no knowledge of the matter. Speaking of a Declaration on Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) which the Croatian parliament recently adopted and the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) deputies opposed and which caused protest rallies of Croatian Homeland War veterans, Mesic said the HDZ majority in the previous composition of the Croatian National Sabor had passed a Constitutional Law on the cooperation with the ICTY. "They (HDZ) asked for it. They have extradited some people to The Hague and it was a big show. Nowadays when this law is being enforced, those who contributed to its adoption and enforcement, wonder where justice is," Mesic stressed. Asked to comment on Homeland War veterans' associations' response and their indignation over the Declaration and exhumation in Gospic, Mesic said a part of people was emotionally linked with the matter while some did not understand what this was about. "The individualisation of guilt suits Croatia. Individualisation leads to calming the situation. The Croatian nation has no reason for being hostage of anybody and Croatia cannot tie its prosperity and its accession into the European Union with people who have taken the law into their own hands and abused it," Mesic asserted. He added that he had no knowledge that some indictees could be processed in Croatia, claiming that this should have been done in the country before, if Croatia had been a law-based state. Only if we are all equal before law, Croatia can expect its admission into the European Union, the President said. He maintains that on behalf of Croatia none was entitled to kill anybody's child and if anyone committed such an act they should answer for it. Asked about different views in the appointment of heads of intelligence services, that led to misunderstanding between the President of the Republic and the Government, which was resolved last Saturday, Mesic replied this could have earlier been settled. Mesic added he had accepted what the ruling six-party coalition had requested and that he also opted for a parliamentary democracy, but the President of the Republic should be the supreme commander of armed forces and appoint heads of intelligence services. "I cannot control any service as I do not have mechanisms for this purpose," Mesic said. In his opinion, the Sabor should have controlling mechanisms over intelligence services, the Government should control them, while the President of the Republic will appoint their senior executives. Mesic reiterated that the President should be co-creator of a foreign policy. Mesic added that under a new proposal, the President of the Republic will appoint heads of SIS (Security and Intelligence Service) and UNS (Office for National Security) with the signature of Prime Minister, whereas Prime Minister will choose the head of the SZUP (Service for the Protection of Constitutional Order). Mesic cautioned that a great part of the intelligence community had turned to be political police supervising public figures, reporters and citizens, and advised that their number should be cut to a sensible level. Asked whether the institutions of the President and Premier come closer in their stands about Constitutional amendments, Mesic replied that this problem was resolved and a commission in charge of those changes had elaborated a good document on the matter. Mesic said that now it was necessary to carry out de-centralisation of the authorities and means. Commenting on the first 100 days which are to be completed soon since the new Government was inaugurated, President Mesic said the Government had so far gained an insight in the state of affairs and identified problems. "To date Croatia has carried out an anti-inflation programme that has produced some results, but now it is a kind of obstacle in the development. Croatia is in a depression and it needs an anti- depression programme," Mesic added. He cited Government's task as the revision of privatisation and legal actions relating to criminal acts and the adjustment of legislative system with the EU system. "Our goal is the EU and NATO in order to enjoy security and standard," Mesic explained. Speaking of his activities the Croatian President said he had toured neighbouring countries and was now planning to visit some other countries including the United States and later Brussels and Strasbourg. (hina) ms