ZAGREB, Dec 23 (Hina) - Croatia's former interior minister Ivan Jarnjak on Saturday dismissed claims that major crimes committed during the 1995 liberation operations Flash and Storm had taken place after the withdrawal of the
Croatian Army and the entrance of military and civil police into the liberated areas. "Interior Ministry troops did enter the liberated areas after the Croatian Army but it is also true that they encountered a situation which made them press criminal charges in more than 1,500 cases involving different criminal acts, including the gravest ones," Jarnjak told Hina. The former interior minister emphasised that special police forces had actively participated in operation Storm, but under the Croatian Army command, and that some 3,000 basic police officers had entered the area after the end of military operations. Jarnjak was commenting on a statement by Imra Agotic, preside
ZAGREB, Dec 23 (Hina) - Croatia's former interior minister Ivan
Jarnjak on Saturday dismissed claims that major crimes committed
during the 1995 liberation operations Flash and Storm had taken
place after the withdrawal of the Croatian Army and the entrance of
military and civil police into the liberated areas.
"Interior Ministry troops did enter the liberated areas after the
Croatian Army but it is also true that they encountered a situation
which made them press criminal charges in more than 1,500 cases
involving different criminal acts, including the gravest ones,"
Jarnjak told Hina.
The former interior minister emphasised that special police forces
had actively participated in operation Storm, but under the
Croatian Army command, and that some 3,000 basic police officers
had entered the area after the end of military operations.
Jarnjak was commenting on a statement by Imra Agotic, presidential
advisor on defence and military affairs, who said the gravest
crimes in the liberated areas had been committed after military and
civil police and bodies of local authority had entered the area.
In an interview with today's issue of the Vecernji List daily,
Agotic said it was not true that crimes in the liberated areas had
been committed by the Croatian Army, adding the liberated areas
should be controlled by military police, interior ministry troops
and bodies of local authority after the army's withdrawal.
"It was then that the gravest crimes were committed," Agotic said.
Jarnjak claims that operation Storm liberated a large area which
was difficult to control. "At the time, the police did not have any
special powers except for those they exercise in the peace-time
period," he said adding the police mostly controlled main roads and
civilians whereas the military police was controlling persons
wearing military uniforms. The police registered crimes and
pressed criminal charges regardless of who their perpetrators
might have been, he said.
How many of those cases have been processed I don't know and that
question should be directed to the judiciary, Jarnjak said adding
it was difficult to establish the time at which the crimes had taken
place.
"If Agotic knew something about the crimes, why did not he speak
about it earlier," Jarnjak said adding he was 'surprised' by
Agotic's statements. "Exchanging accusations will not lead to the
resolution of the latest situation in relations with the Hague
court," he added.
The Interior Ministry does not want to comment on the statement by
the presidential advisor on defence and military issues, spokesman
Slavko Rako said briefly.
(hina) rml