ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives on Wednesday concluded a discussion on Croatia's cooperation with The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). A debate on
the issue was held some ten days ago and was initiated by parliamentary benches of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP). Both benches will deliver to the Lower House their draft resolution on the cooperation. The HDZ bench will not demand with its draft resolution the discontinuation of cooperation with The Hague tribunal, but will demand for the cooperation to be legally founded and based on what Croatia is signatory to, and not on the tribunal's political selectivity, HDZ bench president Vladimir Seks said. He added the politicisation of the tribunal was especially evident in the indictments against Mladen
ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of
Representatives on Wednesday concluded a discussion on Croatia's
cooperation with The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
A debate on the issue was held some ten days ago and was initiated by
parliamentary benches of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) and of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP).
Both benches will deliver to the Lower House their draft resolution
on the cooperation.
The HDZ bench will not demand with its draft resolution the
discontinuation of cooperation with The Hague tribunal, but will
demand for the cooperation to be legally founded and based on what
Croatia is signatory to, and not on the tribunal's political
selectivity, HDZ bench president Vladimir Seks said.
He added the politicisation of the tribunal was especially evident
in the indictments against Mladen Naletilic and Vinko Martinovic.
These indictments, Seks explained, attempt to connect Croatian
authorities with crimes committed against Muslims in Bosnia. This
sort of context is an imposition of Croatian authorities'
collective guilt which, Seks said, was inadmissible.
HSP's Anto Djapic announced his party's draft resolution assesses
an unconditional continuation of cooperation with the ICTY would be
dangerous for Croatia's national interests.
Djapic is for the continuation of cooperation, but says further
extraditions should be stopped.
The HSP bench reiterated the ICTY was politically
instrumentalised, unjust, and detrimental to Croats.
The party also suggested the establishment of an international
commission with a Croatian member majority to the effect of
inspecting ICTY's entire activity, composition, and legal acts.
During the Wednesday discussion, the MPs objected in particular to
the fact that mostly Croats were detained in The Hague, whereas
those accused of crimes against Croats in Croatia and Bosnia were
absent.
Also criticised was the position and conditions Croats detained in
The Hague were in.
Several MPs requested that Tihomir Blaskic, detained in The Hague
three years now, be released on bail.
It was also requested not to allow any Croat to go to The Hague,
either of his own will or by force, until the trials of Croats
already there were over.
(hina) ha jn