ZAGREB, Aug 31 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic on Thursday condemned the recent murder of Hague war crimes tribunal witness Milan Levar, saying it was a crime levelled against Croatia, a crime aimed at putting Croatia back
into isolation. "Behind this are those who find fault with Croatia's present opening to the world and the policy (Croatia) is now conducting. This crime is certainly detrimental to Croatia, but it doesn't serve those who resorted to it either," President Mesic told a news conference in Zagreb.
ZAGREB, Aug 31 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic on Thursday
condemned the recent murder of Hague war crimes tribunal witness
Milan Levar, saying it was a crime levelled against Croatia, a crime
aimed at putting Croatia back into isolation.
"Behind this are those who find fault with Croatia's present
opening to the world and the policy (Croatia) is now conducting.
This crime is certainly detrimental to Croatia, but it doesn't
serve those who resorted to it either," President Mesic told a news
conference in Zagreb.#L#
The President said he was sure Croatian police were capable of
finding the culprits and bringing them to court.
He reminded that yesterday it was disclosed The Hague-based
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia had
requested protection for Levar and that the Croatian Interior
Ministry had received a letter to that effect during the mandate of
Ivan Penic, presently an MP for the Croatian Democratic Union
party.
President Mesic wondered why nothing was done, why police in
Gospic, where Levar was murdered, were not notified about the
tribunal's request. We must establish who is responsible, he said.
Mesic believes competent institutions were given enough warnings
calling for protection for Levar. He said that if Levar claimed he
was receiving threats, that his car was mined, then everything
indicated the terror was getting closer to his own head.
The President criticised the Gospic police chief for saying that he
had no knowledge at all about threats made to Levar. After such a
statement, Mesic said, "(the police chief) no longer deserves to
wear the uniform of a Croatian police officer, since he isn't
familiar with what is going on in his zone of responsibility."
The President also criticised state institutions for failing to
react in time when monuments to World War Two victims of fascism
were being desecrated and pulled down. The Levar assassination is
the answer to the silence coming from some institutions, he said.
Asked which institutions he held accountable for the Levar murder,
President Mesic said, "I don't mean all of them, just those
institutions which this matter concerns."
Mesic added one of his advisers would attend the Levar funeral.
Milan Levar was killed on Monday when a planted bomb went off in the
yard of his house in Gospic, central Croatia. In 1997 and 1998 he
gave statements to ICTY investigators on alleged crimes the
Croatian side committed against Serb civilians in Gospic.
President Mesic reiterated Croatia remained committed to cooperate
with The Hague war crimes tribunal in line with a constitutional law
regulating the terms of the cooperation. He added that those
responsible must account for their crimes, and that any obstruction
of cooperation with the tribunal would be detrimental to Croatia.
(hina) ha jn