ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's upper house began its first autumn session with a heated debate on a motion by the bench of the HDZ party to include on the agenda an item tackling the jeopardising of the
constitutional order, the rule of law, and the functioning of the law-based state. The motion by the Croatian Democratic Union, the strongest opposition party in the upper house, was adopted after a two-hour discussion, and was followed by a debate on the jeopardising of the constitutional order on the part of the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic. Zvonimr Puljic said the HDZ decided to move the debate due to dangerous divisions in the state which opened in the wake of the August assassination of Milan Levar in Gospic. This event, according to the HDZ, endangered the rule of law in Croatia. "Accountability for public statements is not present with the Presid
ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's upper house
began its first autumn session with a heated debate on a motion by
the bench of the HDZ party to include on the agenda an item tackling
the jeopardising of the constitutional order, the rule of law, and
the functioning of the law-based state.
The motion by the Croatian Democratic Union, the strongest
opposition party in the upper house, was adopted after a two-hour
discussion, and was followed by a debate on the jeopardising of the
constitutional order on the part of the Prime Minister and the
President of the Republic.
Zvonimr Puljic said the HDZ decided to move the debate due to
dangerous divisions in the state which opened in the wake of the
August assassination of Milan Levar in Gospic. This event,
according to the HDZ, endangered the rule of law in Croatia.
"Accountability for public statements is not present with the
President of the Republic, which is inappropriate for the function
he performs, and the President is most probably at odds with the
citizens," said Puljic.
He added the HDZ had decided on the debate to stop processes from
proceeding in the wrong direction, and was hopeful the ridiculed
idea of reconciliation, initiated by former Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman, would be reaffirmed.
The HDZ believes the present polarisation in Croatia has been
inspired and created by statements the President of the Republic
and the Prime Minister made immediately after the recent arrests in
Gospic, Zagreb, Zadar, and Karlovac. The HDZ expects the
spectacular arrests will disclose the name of Levar's assassins.
According to Puljic, the highest state officials have prejudged in
recent media statements both the guilt and the culprits, giving
threatening messages, causing legal insecurity, even usurping
judicial authority.
Milan Levar, who testified with UN's war crimes tribunal in The
Hague about Croatian crimes over Serb civilians at the beginning of
last decade's war of independence, was assassinated in Gospic late
in August. Shortly thereafter, police arrested a dozen persons in
this central town and elsewhere in the country as suspects in war
and other crimes. Among them were veterans of the Homeland War.
The arrests elicited stormy reactions among the veterans, who
immediately established headquarters protecting the dignity of the
Homeland War. Similar reactions came from the HDZ and some other
parties. The harshest criticism was levelled at Prime Minister
Ivica Racan's and President Stipe Mesic's statements which
applauded the prosecution of crimes and fighting crime in Croatia.
Today's upper house debate was followed by representatives of the
headquarters protecting the dignity of the Homeland War.
HDZ's MPs once again criticised President Mesic for a recent
statement he made in a Yugoslav radio interview to the effect that
everybody should apologise to everybody for last decade's
conflicts on the territory of the former Yugoslav federation.
Goran Struk of the Social Democratic Party bench urged that it
should be stated precisely how the President of the Republic, the
Prime Minister, or the government were criminalising the Homeland
War.
Zarko Katic of the Croatian Social Liberal Party bench said the
current state of affairs in the state was "not normal and is not
desirable. We should get over it." He feared "that many of those
guilty for the war might go unpunished with the victory of new
forces in Serbia."
The HDZ moved calling a referendum on Croatia's cooperation with
the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, and put forward the question
of President Mesic's testimony at the tribunal a few years ago.
It was suggested to close today's debate with a declaration on the
protection of the dignity of the Homeland War.
(hina) ha jn