ZAGREB, Dec 29 (Hina) - The incumbent Croatian President Stjepan Mesic was elected after the two rounds of the presidential elections at the start of this year and was sworn in on 18 February. Present at the ceremony of his
inauguration were many top foreign officials including 12 heads of state and three (3) heads of government who thus expressed their support to democratic changes in Croatia which commenced with the January parliamentary elections. During the pre-election campaign Mesic promised that he would be the president of all citizens of Croatia and a president who would favour initiatives for changes for the better. The main political feature that marked the first ten months of his term of office is Croatia's exit from the international isolation. A score of his official visits to other countries has contributed to this as well. Living up to his pre-election promises on the alteration of the Constitution,
ZAGREB, Dec 29 (Hina) - The incumbent Croatian President Stjepan
Mesic was elected after the two rounds of the presidential
elections at the start of this year and was sworn in on 18 February.
Present at the ceremony of his inauguration were many top foreign
officials including 12 heads of state and three (3) heads of
government who thus expressed their support to democratic changes
in Croatia which commenced with the January parliamentary
elections.
During the pre-election campaign Mesic promised that he would be
the president of all citizens of Croatia and a president who would
favour initiatives for changes for the better.
The main political feature that marked the first ten months of his
term of office is Croatia's exit from the international isolation.
A score of his official visits to other countries has contributed to
this as well.
Living up to his pre-election promises on the alteration of the
Constitution, Mesic set up a think-tank that cooperated with the
Government's expert group on this matter. However, disagreements
often cropped up particularly regarding the issue of the slashing
the powers of the President of the Republic.
Another 'stumbling blocks' in the relations between President
Mesic and the six-party coalition Government were their opinions on
the cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the control over secret and
intelligence services.
According to the media, Mesic advocated open and improving
cooperation with the Tribunal in compliance with obligations
Zagreb already assumed, whereas the Government insisted that the
office in charge for the cooperation with this court should tackle
the matter.
The Croatian head of state often reiterated that the country would
recover from the economic crisis only if the domestic production
was stimulated and if there were measures to attract foreign
capital and investments that might activate the national
resources.
Mesic organised think-tanks for the development of information
technology in the country and for agricultural reforms.
He also gathered experts who may help develop sports in the
country.
Mesic has announced he will set up an expert group whose task will be
to find solutions to reverse the upward trend in Croatia's jobless
rate.
For him, preconditions for successful efforts aimed at the recovery
of the country are the functioning of the rule of law, the revision
of the ownership transformation and privatisation, the return of
money taken from the country and the judicial processing of those
suspected of illicit gains.
Trying to de-mystify the function of the President of the Republic,
Mesic has opened his office to citizens who may tour 'Pantovcak' and
tell Mesic about their personal problems sipping coffee with him.
(hina) ms