ZAGREB, May 9 (Hina) - MP's of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the majority party in the House of Counties of the Croatian National Sabor as well as MPs of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), in a debate Tuesday, sharply
criticised the Government's bill on the Reconstruction Law claiming that the bill put the aggressor and victim on the same footing. The legislative committee too, requested that prior to adopting a final decision on the law, county assemblies should be asked for their opinion. In an extended debate, the provision by which rights to reconstruction would exclude persons accused of criminal acts against the Croatian people but not including members of their family if they co-owned the property concerned, was particularly criticised. This, MP's warned, puts families of victims and criminals in the same basket. Most MP's disapproved of the fact that priority lists for reconstruction
ZAGREB, May 9 (Hina) - MP's of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ),
the majority party in the House of Counties of the Croatian National
Sabor as well as MPs of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), in a
debate Tuesday, sharply criticised the Government's bill on the
Reconstruction Law claiming that the bill put the aggressor and
victim on the same footing.
The legislative committee too, requested that prior to adopting a
final decision on the law, county assemblies should be asked for
their opinion.
In an extended debate, the provision by which rights to
reconstruction would exclude persons accused of criminal acts
against the Croatian people but not including members of their
family if they co-owned the property concerned, was particularly
criticised.
This, MP's warned, puts families of victims and criminals in the
same basket.
Most MP's disapproved of the fact that priority lists for
reconstruction were being passed by while Miroslav Prpić of the HDZ
bench, claimed that it would be logical to give priority to those
whose homes were destroyed in 1991, during the time of the
aggression.
It was also said that expanding rights to reconstruction throughout
the entire country would create new problems and tensions. This
could lead to 'reconstruction for the purpose of selling', Miroslav
Rozic of the HSP said.
The current law does not resolve the problem of people who settled
into Croatia - Croats from B-H, Kosovo and Vojvodina and it does not
resolve the problem of civilian war victims.
Opinions were expressed to the nature that the bill abolishes the
notion of participating in aggressive forces and that it threatens
Croatia's dignity of statehood.
Velimir Kvesic (HSP/KDM) claimed that the bill betrayed national
interests and that it was a 'subversion against Croats,
criminalising all that was achieved during the Homeland War".
Amendments to the Law on Reconstruction as proposed by the
Government, relates to reconstruction of property destroyed or
damaged up until the end of peaceful re-integration, that is,
January 15, 1998.
The right to reconstruction would apply to all owners and co-owners
of property and the Government would decide a deadline for requests
for reconstruction to be submitted.
The debate on the bill lasted for about three hours, and will
continue on Wednesday when the Upper House should issue a final
decision on it.
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