SEKS: THIS IS CRISIS OF NATIONAL HOMOGENEITY

ZAGREB, Sept 28 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union supports the generals' initiative because it is completely in accordance with requests by the democratic, patriotic public, which is an embittered witness to attempts to criminalise the Homeland War and veterans, the president of the HDZ parliamentary bench, Vladimir Seks, said on Thursday. Seks was commenting on a letter 12 Croatian generals forwarded to the public today. Part of the media and politicians are trying to depict the Homeland War as a crime and that the independent Croatia was established on a crime, Seks said. Some politicians are making statements which create the impression that crimes happened and that those responible for those crimes are being arrested, but it is questionable if crimes did happen at all, Seks said adding this should be established by a court on the basis of an investigation. Only if it is established that a crime was committed, can someone be suspected of committing it and the law-based state can start criminal proceedings in a lawful and civilised way. In that case, the public should be told that the arrested are suspects and not criminals because everybody is innocent until proven guilty, Seks said. Commenting on the Gospic arrests of war crimes suspects, Seks said war crime in 'the Gospic case' had been prejudged and the apprehended persons were called criminals. This is a crisis of national homogeneity and if it continues it could lead to irreconcilable rifts in society, Seks said. Tensions are high and they should be lessened, but the authorities won't admit that they have made a mistake, he believes. Parliamentary debates on the jeopardising of the constitutional and legal order and a declaration on the protection of the dignity of the Homeland War suggested by the HDZ could help lessen the tensions, the president of the HDZ bench believes. (hina) rml