ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - Senior parliamentary officials on Wednesday spoke to reporters commenting on today's statement by the deputy chief prosecutor of UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague, who said Croatian authorities were
familiar with the names of people under investigation for crimes committed during Storm. Flash and Storm were 1995 Croatian military operations which liberated parts of its territory then occupied by Serb rebels. "Part of the Hague tribunal, headed by deputy chief prosecutor Graham Blewitt, is trying to depict Flash and Storm as actions against Serbs," said Zdravko Tomac, chairman of parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs. Storm was a liberation operation, he asserted, adding Croatia did not object to prosecuting individual crimes, but that it should be done "by putting individuals on trial, not the political and military leadership." "The Croatian government will not defend
ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - Senior parliamentary officials on Wednesday
spoke to reporters commenting on today's statement by the deputy
chief prosecutor of UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague, who said
Croatian authorities were familiar with the names of people under
investigation for crimes committed during Storm.
Flash and Storm were 1995 Croatian military operations which
liberated parts of its territory then occupied by Serb rebels.
"Part of the Hague tribunal, headed by deputy chief prosecutor
Graham Blewitt, is trying to depict Flash and Storm as actions
against Serbs," said Zdravko Tomac, chairman of parliament's
Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Storm was a liberation operation, he asserted, adding Croatia did
not object to prosecuting individual crimes, but that it should be
done "by putting individuals on trial, not the political and
military leadership."
"The Croatian government will not defend criminals, but it will
defend the dignity of the Croatian people," Tomac said. He added the
government's position with regard to the Hague tribunal was clear,
and that investigations should start with crimes which started last
decade's conflicts, those in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar.
According to Vladimir Seks, bench president of the strongest
opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), national
consensus should be reached on cooperation with the tribunal, and
that if there were documents with names, the government should
inform the public.
Croatian People's Party president Vesna Pusic said she had no
knowledge as to any document with names, but thought the head of
state and the prime minister should invite the Hague tribunal's
chief prosecutor for talks on Croatia's cooperation with the
tribunal.
"Croatia is no longer a country which has to be brought to order but
a partner-country. Therefore, understanding is important on both
sides," Pusic said. She pointed to the need of maintaining constant
communication with the tribunal, and said the stances the
government recently adopted went in that direction.
HDZ's Ivan Jarnjak, whose name the media have linked with people
under investigation in The Hague, said he had no information about
the mentioned document. "It's awful to speculate with names of
people who should go to The Hague." Asked if he would respond if he
were indicted, Jarnjak answered in the affirmative, but said he was
at a loss as to why he should be summoned by the tribunal.
According to Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly, the
latest news from The Hague showed that no information sent the
executive authority could be held from the public for even 24 hours.
MPs should be notified, he said.
Kajin conceded the Hague tribunal had made mistakes in its
statements, but that the fact remained that Croatia had a
constitutional law on cooperation with the tribunal which it must
abide by. The cost of non-compliance would be immeasurable, he
said, adding the tribunal should not be elevated above economic and
social issues.
(hina) ha