ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - Jutarnji list daily on Saturday ran an interview with Croatian President Stipe Mesic who spoke about a variety of topical issues. Speaking about parliament's House of Counties, the President said he saw it as
a set of mechanisms which he would rather dissolve and use the funds to help the economy. "I expected (the upper house) would be the final filter which would give us the right laws, but it didn't happen," the President said. Commenting on last week's arrests of persons suspected of war and other crimes, among whom were some members of the Croatian Army, President Mesic said the police essentially had done a good job. "There should have been less spectacle in the arrests, but essentially, the action is all right." Asked when the situation would be settled and when the right-wing would ease up its pressure in the wake of the arrests, he said "tensions will abate, because it
ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - Jutarnji list daily on Saturday ran an
interview with Croatian President Stipe Mesic who spoke about a
variety of topical issues.
Speaking about parliament's House of Counties, the President said
he saw it as a set of mechanisms which he would rather dissolve and
use the funds to help the economy. "I expected (the upper house)
would be the final filter which would give us the right laws, but it
didn't happen," the President said.
Commenting on last week's arrests of persons suspected of war and
other crimes, among whom were some members of the Croatian Army,
President Mesic said the police essentially had done a good job.
"There should have been less spectacle in the arrests, but
essentially, the action is all right."
Asked when the situation would be settled and when the right-wing
would ease up its pressure in the wake of the arrests, he said
"tensions will abate, because it will be seen that the entire game
is led by segments of the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union party)
which just can't come to terms with the fact that the HDZ lost the
elections because of bad policy."
Asked to comment on recent claims by the Church that what was
happening in Croatia was a conflict between the old and new
political elite and that the people should not interfere, President
Mesic said the claims contained criticism which undermined their
foundation.
"There is no conflict at all. It is being proclaimed, for instance,
that the communists are in power, that socialism is being
reintroduced and that we are heading for Serboslavia, which is non-
sense. Even if someone in Croatia wanted to create Yugoslavia,
nobody in the world would accept it, since it is a historical
absurdity," said Mesic.
"The Church has its mission and it would do good to concern itself
with that."
Evaluating the performance of Prime Minister Ivica Racan's
government, Mesic said it was ridiculous to attack the government
now because someone had been a communist.
He said it was incorrect that Racan had arrested people in 1972.
"Those complaining that he was doing I don't know what during the
(former Yugoslav federation's communist) system should be more
objective and refrain from generalising."
Mesic pointed out it had been Racan "who together with the Slovenes
was the first to deal the first blow to (Yugoslav President)
Slobodan Milosevic, paving the way for the first democratic
elections in Croatia."
Speaking about scholar Ivan Supek's recent proposal to divide
Croatia into six regions and 100 municipalities instead of the
current 21 counties and 500 municipalities, the President said it
was good for consideration.
"I agree that Croatia has too many municipalities, but they have
just been organised and it is a big question how to do it
differently. It can't be done in the one or two months we have left
for amending the Constitution," he told Jutarnji list daily.
(hina) ha