TOMCIC: CROATIA IN DELICATE POSITION AS REGARDS RELATIONS WITH HAGUE

ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - Croatia's relationship with the Hague war crimes tribunal has reached a delicate moment and the Croatian government will face a difficult task of protecting national dignity without jeopardising relations with the international community, Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) president and parliament speaker Zlatko Tomcic said in Zagreb on Friday. Nobody in the coalition government has the right to exclusivity as regards that issue and the delicate nature of the topic (relations with the Hague tribunal) requires a national consensus, Tomcic told a party's general convention. The HSS today also marks the 96th anniversary. The main topics of Tomcic's address were relations with the Hague war crimes tribunal, relations within the six-party ruling coalition and the party's work. I believe Croatia is in a delicate situation as regards its cooperation with The Hague. We are facing major challenges, which, paradoxically, spring from our determination to take the path of democracy and respect for European traditions. However, for us to continue that path, it is also necessary that the international community base its proclaimed criteria on objectivity and impartiality, he said. The latest requests by the Hague tribunal cannot be described as such even with the best will in the world, Tomcic said. "We are again in a position to believe that there is a principle of equal distribution of guilt between the aggressor and the victim," he said. Commenting on cooperation among the coalition partners, Tomcic said the removal of flaws in those relations required the improvement of coordination at all levels of authority. (hina) rml