ZAGREB, Feb 5 (Hina) - In continuation of a discussion on the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at the Croatian National Parliament House of Representatives on Friday, Croatian Foreign
Minister Mate Granic said ceasing cooperation with the tribunal would be detrimental for Croatia. Not only because of sanctions which would be imposed on Croatia, but also because of the complete tying of Croatia with the group of countries, signatories to the Dayton Agreement, which is the wish of many, Granic said. The House will continue its discussion which is led on the basis of separate requests by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) bench and the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) bench, in ten days, as continuation of the first session this year. Most criticisms were connected to the failure to investigate war crimes committed against Croats in Croatia and the Bosnian Federat
ZAGREB, Feb 5 (Hina) - In continuation of a discussion on the work of
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) at the Croatian National Parliament House of
Representatives on Friday, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic
said ceasing cooperation with the tribunal would be detrimental for
Croatia.
Not only because of sanctions which would be imposed on Croatia, but
also because of the complete tying of Croatia with the group of
countries, signatories to the Dayton Agreement, which is the wish
of many, Granic said.
The House will continue its discussion which is led on the basis of
separate requests by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) bench and
the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) bench, in ten days, as
continuation of the first session this year.
Most criticisms were connected to the failure to investigate war
crimes committed against Croats in Croatia and the Bosnian
Federation, the slowness in initiating trials against indicted
Bosnian Croats, especially Tihomir Blaskic, with assessments about
the tribunal's political dimension.
Granic described as very problematic the contentious issue of
ICTY's jurisdiction over crimes committed after the Croatian
military and police operation "Storm" in 1995. Croatia feels this
is not in the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, Granic said.
He recalled rumours about the possible processing of some Croatian
generals and state officials regarding "Storm".
"These are not just rumours, this is strong diplomatic intelligence
information," he stressed.
Several MPs harshly opposed attempts of criminalising the Homeland
War.
"If attempts to criminalise the Homeland War escalate, the HSLS
(Croatian Social Liberal Party) will resolutely oppose this,"
Josko Kontic of the HSLS said.
Ivan Gabelica of the Croatian Pure Party of Rights (HCSP) was very
critical towards the Tribunal. He suggested that no more Croats
should be extradited to any foreign country or organisation.
Ante Beljo of the HDZ suggested Croatia should take a firm
standpoint that there should be no further extraditions until
trials to indicted Croats are completed.
"Let us not send any more of our people to the Hague. They do not need
Tuta and Stela, they want to hear that they had been given orders by
the late (Croatian Defence Minister) Gojko Susak and President
Tudjman," Anto Kovacevic of the Croatian Christian Democratic
Union (HKDU) said.
HSLS and HDZ MPs asked that the request that Blaskic be released
from detention and allowed to defend himself from freedom be
included in the document to be adopted by the Parliament.
Granic replied Croatia had requested this for Blaskic as well as for
others.
Granic pointed to attempts to implicate Croatia for the war in
Bosnia-Herzegovina through indicted Bosnian Croats.
"This would mean an attempt to tie the indictees with Croatia's
military and political leadership," Granic said, adding that the
hardest case in this regard will be the Kordic case.
Criticising the Tribunal, Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic
Party (SDP) asked why Croatian diplomacy had not requested of the UN
Security Council to take measures towards countries which are not
cooperating with ICTY. He also asked how many times the Croatian
Government reacted to changes in conduct regulations.
It only reacted once regarding the subpoena, and regulations have
changed 14 times, he said.
Milan Djukic of the Serb People's Party (SNS) agreed with most part,
but he said he held the international community had been
understanding towards Croatia when necessary, and he did not
believe in any bias in Tribunal proceedings.
Veselin Pejnovic (independent MP) held one message of the
discussion relayed to the international community should be - if
you recognise us as a sovereign country, apply the same criteria and
use the same means as in your own countries. If not, this kind of
cooperation should be cancelled, he added.
The MPs stressed several times during the discussion that the issue
of compensation for Croats who had been in the Hague detention
centres for unsubstantiated indictments should be posed before the
UN Security Council.
(hina) lml jn