ZAGREB, Oct 12 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives on Thursday morning began a debate on two draft declarations on the dignity of the Homeland Defence War, Croatia's early 1990s war of independence from the
former Yugoslav federation, one moved by the strongest opposition party, the HDZ, and the other by the HSS, one of six in the ruling coalition. The HDZ draft aims to protect the values and dignity of the war as a defence war which was fair, said Vladimir Seks, president of the parliamentary bench of the Croatian Democratic Union. He believes that lately some media have been systematically focusing on the dark sides of the homeland war in attempts, with tacit approval from the authorities, to present those dark spots as a general occurrence and thus criminalise it. Seks said the intention was to reduce it to a civil war and create the opinion that it was something dishonourabl
ZAGREB, Oct 12 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of
Representatives on Thursday morning began a debate on two draft
declarations on the dignity of the Homeland Defence War, Croatia's
early 1990s war of independence from the former Yugoslav
federation, one moved by the strongest opposition party, the HDZ,
and the other by the HSS, one of six in the ruling coalition.
The HDZ draft aims to protect the values and dignity of the war as a
defence war which was fair, said Vladimir Seks, president of the
parliamentary bench of the Croatian Democratic Union.
He believes that lately some media have been systematically
focusing on the dark sides of the homeland war in attempts, with
tacit approval from the authorities, to present those dark spots as
a general occurrence and thus criminalise it. Seks said the
intention was to reduce it to a civil war and create the opinion that
it was something dishonourable and that thousands of victims died
for the wrong goals.
According to Seks, the highest state officials are making
statements which "are in collusion" with those who hate the
homeland war, and are proclaiming some officers war criminals,
criminals, or fake disabled veterans, without evidence. He said the
claim by the president of the republic in a recent interview that
all sides should apologise for last decade's conflicts was a
violation of the truth that Croatians had been the victims of
aggression and an attempt to redefine history.
Seks believes all this brings under question the notion of the
homeland war and the foundations of the Croatian state, which has
resulted in major concern among the public and polarisation within
the population. The differences between us should not be an
obstacle to our reaching joint standpoints, a joint declaration on
the homeland war which we would adopt by consensus, he said.
Today's lower house session is monitored by representatives of
numerous veterans' associations.
(hina) ha