ZAGREB, May 17 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament's House of Representatives was the scene of a stormy discussion Wednesday among MPs on the final draft amendments to the Law on Reconstruction. Members of Parliament of the six party
ruling alliance stressed the amendments were to show that Croatia respected the right to property, return and reconstruction of and for every Croatian citizen, while the opposition claimed the amendments equalised the aggressor and the victims.
ZAGREB, May 17 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament's House of
Representatives was the scene of a stormy discussion Wednesday
among MPs on the final draft amendments to the Law on
Reconstruction.
Members of Parliament of the six party ruling alliance stressed the
amendments were to show that Croatia respected the right to
property, return and reconstruction of and for every Croatian
citizen, while the opposition claimed the amendments equalised the
aggressor and the victims. #L#
The harshest reaction was caused by Drago Krpina (Croatian
Democratic Union, HDZ) who said the amended law would equalise the
rights to reconstruction of 700,000 Croats exiled from their homes
and those who exiled them. During the aggression on Croatia, 15,000
Croats were killed, 35,000 wounded, and war damage amounted to 260
billion kuna (US$32.5 billion). "Was all this done by the 25 people
against which criminal proceedings for war crimes are allowed to be
held in Croatia," Krpina asked.
No, he asserted, this was done by the Serb aggressor, that is, most
Serbs in Croatia.
He held it was "immoral that tax payers will have to set aside
billions of kuna in their poverty during the next several years to
compensate those who destroyed Croatia, while on the other hand
there are no funds for children's allowance or the rehabilitation
of companies". This law, along with some others, "give reason for
the radicalisation of the Croatian political scene and dangerous
separation in society," Krpina concluded.
His speech gave rise to numerous rebuttals.
Deputy Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction Minister,
Venko Curlin, explained the amendments would not award those who
killed 15,000 Croats, but rather equalised the positions of all
those who had been victims in the Homeland War.
He dismissed claims that Serb summer houses would be reconstructed.
Only housing facilities which were used and will be used as
residences will be reconstructed, he asserted.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) said about
10,000 buildings had been destroyed after the "Storm" liberation
operation in Croatia, an act which was primitive and politically
motivated. This, he said, was not supposed to happen.
Mladen Godek said Krpina's statement that Prime Minister Ivica
Racan had at one time called the HDZ a party of dangerous intentions
because it wished for an independent state was incorrect.
"Racan deserves infinitely more merit for the creation of the
independent state of Croatia than Drago Krpina," he said.
During the discussion representatives of party benches of the
ruling six parties supported the draft amendments to the Law on
Reconstruction. However, some of them did feel a law should also be
passed to regulate the issue of accommodation and other living
conditions for exiled Croats from Yugoslavia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina, who should move out of the houses and flats in which
they are currently living.
On behalf of the national minority bench, Milan Djukic said the
amended law was significantly more just than the old one which
served to a "conscious discrimination of citizens", as it clearly
defined buildings which needed to be reconstructed and the time
frame in which the buildings had been destroyed.
He also held it was positive that the law would set back the
deadlines for the submission of applications for reconstruction,
because they depended on the process of return.
Tonci Tadic (Croatian Party of Rights - Croatian Christian
Democratic Union coalition) deemed this idea as unacceptable
because it would create the opportunity for tax payers to set aside
funds for reconstruction "infinitely". He asserted "it seems like
this law was drawn up by the Serb reconstruction Movement, not the
Croatian Government," and was reprimanded by Parliament President
Zlatko Tomcic.
(hina) lml mm