ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic on Saturday evening responded to those "who attack him because of his statements published by the Novi Sad media," read a statement issued by his Office last night.
ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic on
Saturday evening responded to those "who attack him because of his
statements published by the Novi Sad media," read a statement
issued by his Office last night.#L#
"The statement, because of which some malevolently attack me, has
been pulled out of the context. It is interesting that some are
anxious for seeking other context in all of my statements. All my
attitudes on the criminal (Slobodan) Milosevic as well as my
insistence on the war damages which Serbia should pay, clearly
speak of my stands which I have not in the least revised. When I
speak about the apology at a personal level it is natural that
regardless of his ethnic origins, a neighbour who did wrong to his
neighbour, should ask for forgiveness. Crime is individual and it
has its name and surname," read the statement.
A part of the interview referring to the apology spoke about the
individualisation of the guilt. I stressed in that text that "I can
apologise only on behalf of all citizens of Croatia if they had
harmed anyone, as I am the president of all citizens of Croatia and
not the president of only Croats," Saturday's statement quoted
excerpts from the interview he recently gave to the Novi Sad-based
'Vojvodina' daily.
In the interview Mesic said "I am always prepared to offer apologies
provided that anybody who is guilty must be held responsible. If we
hold accountable those who committed war crimes, and the former
authorities kept them hidden away, the authorities in Serbia cannot
in the future hide those who massacred three hundred people on
Ovcara (near the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar) after they had
taken them out of hospital. Some must answer for this. Names are
known, it is known who committed it, it is known who ordered and who
carried out (the execution) and they must be brought before courts.
War crime has no statute of limitations," Mesic said in the
interview and this was quoted in Saturday evening's statement.
(hina) ms