ZAGREB, April 21 (Hina) - Croatia's Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa on Wednesday said Croatia had received no request to allow NATO ground troops to be deployed in Croatia for possible intervention into Kosovo. Answering questions of
members of the Parliament during the question time with which the Sabor's House of Representatives commenced the session, Matesa said the Government was closely following the situation at Debeli Brijeg - a border crossing between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Montenegro). On Tuesday the Yugoslav Army entered the demilitarised zone on the Prevlaka area at the Montenegrin side of the border and blocked the border crossing. We have all variants elaborated for possible actions, Matesa said in this regard. Croatia is covered by "the NATO umbrella and is enjoying all support and protection of the NATO just as all member-countries of the Partnership
ZAGREB, April 21 (Hina) - Croatia's Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa on
Wednesday said Croatia had received no request to allow NATO ground
troops to be deployed in Croatia for possible intervention
into Kosovo.
Answering questions of members of the Parliament during the
question time with which the Sabor's House of Representatives
commenced the session, Matesa said the Government was closely
following the situation at Debeli Brijeg - a border crossing
between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e.
Montenegro).
On Tuesday the Yugoslav Army entered the demilitarised zone on the
Prevlaka area at the Montenegrin side of the border and blocked the
border crossing.
We have all variants elaborated for possible actions, Matesa said
in this regard. Croatia is covered by "the NATO umbrella and is
enjoying all support and protection of the NATO just as all member-
countries of the Partnership for Peace programme and neighbouring
countries to Yugoslavia, and Yugoslavia is very well aware of this,
Matesa told the Sabor.
A deputy of the Croatian Party of Right (HSP) asked the Government
whether it would still "systematically and enthusiastically take
over new strange obligations which the international community
itself cannot carry out."
Croatia has not assumed any strange obligations, but it has taken
duties in the framework of the democratic standards and obligations
which are in the country's own interest, Foreign Minister Mate
Granic answered.
Interior Minister Ivan Penic informed MPs that an investigation
into the killing of two Croatian special policemen at the border on
the Danube River had been completed fully and that it was known who
perpetrators were. The killers are five citizens of Yugoslavia.
Croatia has requested, via international help, their extradition
from Yugoslavia, but Belgrade has not so far responded to the
request and it does not want to hand them over, Penic said.
Asked about the inclusion of members of former Croatian Serb
paramilitary units, some of whom are war crimes suspects, into the
Croatian Interior Ministry, Penic said most of the policemen who
had been taken over, were fulfilling their duties professionally.
At the beginning of 1997, the Interior Ministry took over about
1,500 members of the former "Krajina army". This was the price for
the start of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube
River Area, Penic explained. Most of them, estimated 1,000, left as
they refused to accept Croatian documents and wear Croatian police
uniforms. Majority of those who remained are doing professionally
their job, the minister added.
Dragisa Cancarevic, a former commander of the police station in
Borovo Naselje, in the outskirts of Vukovar, was arrested on
suspicion of having committed a war crime, Penic said adding that
several people, whom Cancarevic abused at prison in the Borovo
Naselje in 1991, recognised him.
(hina) jn ms