ZAGREB, Dec 19 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's Speaker Zlatko Tomcic on Monday night said he was surprised by the statement of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) President, Drazen Budisa, who claimed that General Petar
Stipetic had been summoned as a suspect to the questioning by Hague Tribunal investigators in Zagreb. Sabor Speaker and Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) President added that Budisa "obviously forgets that in the politics there is a division of jobs as well as the responsibility towards this division." Budisa was quoted by Tuesday's issue of the 'Vecernji List' daily as saying that the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) had summoned Gen. Stipetic to be questioned, as a suspect in the cases of the pocket of Medak and the operations "Flash" and "Storm", by ICTY investigators in Zagreb. Regarding controversial information which has appeared in
ZAGREB, Dec 19 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's Speaker Zlatko
Tomcic on Monday night said he was surprised by the statement of the
Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) President, Drazen Budisa, who
claimed that General Petar Stipetic had been summoned as a suspect
to the questioning by Hague Tribunal investigators in Zagreb.
Sabor Speaker and Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) President added
that Budisa "obviously forgets that in the politics there is a
division of jobs as well as the responsibility towards this
division."
Budisa was quoted by Tuesday's issue of the 'Vecernji List' daily as
saying that the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia) had summoned Gen. Stipetic to be questioned, as
a suspect in the cases of the pocket of Medak and the operations
"Flash" and "Storm", by ICTY investigators in Zagreb.
Regarding controversial information which has appeared in relation
with Stipetic's status, Budisa thinks he should say that, because
nobody has the right to delude the Croatian public, according to
hum.
Being asked to comment on Budisa's statement, Tomcic told the
Croatian Television's (HTV) news programme late last night that
"nobody in the ruling six-party coalition can take over roles which
are not intended for them," adding that it is the task of only the
Croatian Government to settle issues regarding the relations with
the ICTY.
The Croatian Peasants' Party is not ready to put up with incidents
inside the Six all the time, and we shall insist on very serious
talks on all of that, Tomcic added.
Deputy Sabor Speaker Zdravko Tomac (of the Social Democratic Party
or SDP), told the same programme that "it is not good not to tell the
truth to people", and said that this time again he asked for a
meeting of top officials who should adopt certain stands in line of
which consensus may be sought, instead of allowing polemics and
conflicts which are open in Croatia.
"In this situation, I think, the only exit is to face, in a highly
responsible manner, the situation in which we are now and that we
try to find answers for what is in the offing, and that thus we
clearly, publicly and correctly inform the people and ask support,"
Tomac was quoted by the HTV as saying.
A leader of the strongest opposition party (HDZ), Vladimir Seks,
was quoted as saying that it was high time the full truth was given
clearly and precisely about the reasons for and about a role in
which Gen. Stipetic was summoned by the ICTY.
Asserting that this obviously does not refer to testimony, the HDZ
parliamentary bench head said Premier Ivica Racan should be the
first to address the public and tell all about it rather than saying
that "there are some elements which are unacceptable."
If the commanding responsibility be installed only on the basis of
the fact that Gen. Stipetic had carried out some military offices,
this can entail that any commander of Croatian Army (HV) officer can
find themselves in the situation that they should answer before the
Hague Tribunal, Seks warned.
(hina) ms