ZAGREB/TORINO, May 31 (Hina) - We are sorry for the failure of the political negotiations on Kosovo, and for the cruel war we are witnesses to not only in Kosovo, but in the entire Yugoslavia, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman told
the Monday edition of Italian daily paper La Stampa. Tudjman said it could not be denied that in a certain way, the Croatian public was glad to see Serbia facing war difficulties, but added the Croatian public was aware that the current war, which has been going on Yugoslav territory for the past two months, was also the cause of major economic and political damage for Croatia. "Our interest is for the war to end as soon as possible," President Tudjman said. "The international community has never understood completely that the recent events on the territory of the former Yugoslavia are the consequences of not only Milosevic's personal po
ZAGREB/TORINO, May 31 (Hina) - We are sorry for the failure of the
political negotiations on Kosovo, and for the cruel war we are
witnesses to not only in Kosovo, but in the entire Yugoslavia,
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman told the Monday edition of
Italian daily paper La Stampa.
Tudjman said it could not be denied that in a certain way, the
Croatian public was glad to see Serbia facing war difficulties, but
added the Croatian public was aware that the current war, which has
been going on Yugoslav territory for the past two months, was also
the cause of major economic and political damage for Croatia.
"Our interest is for the war to end as soon as possible," President
Tudjman said.
"The international community has never understood completely that
the recent events on the territory of the former Yugoslavia are the
consequences of not only Milosevic's personal policy, but that the
causes for these events must be sought in the unresolved issues of
historical heritage, in the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, of the
Habsburg monarchy, of Yugoslavia, as well as in the conflicts
between western Europe and Russia."
Milosevic was Croatia's greatest enemy, but was not the creator of
the Great Serbia concept, President Tudjman asserted. "The plan of
Great Serbia was born at the Serb Academy of Arts and Sciences,
Milosevic was only the one who implemented it," he said.
Croatia defeated Serbia in a degree it did not suffer since the
Kosovo battle, President Tudjman further stated.
He said The Hague tribunal's war crimes indictment against
Milosevic was a way to get at Milosevic as the real culprit for the
Great Serbia policy via the tribunal, after the failure of NATO's
strikes against Yugoslavia to yield the expected results even after
two months.
President Tudjman said he believed Italy "certainly isn't happy
about this war," and pointed out Croatia's support to NATO had been
a difficult decision. Faced with the unity between Europe and
America, Croatia had no other choice, Tudjman said, and added
Croatia would willingly renounce the political "points" it had won
by supporting NATO's strikes "if only there had not been a war with
all of its consequences."
Commenting on Serbian-Montenegrin relations, Croatia's head of
state said he did not exclude "a temporary secession." Historically
however, most Montenegrins are oriented towards Great Serbia,
Tudjman said, adding Milosevic was born in Montenegro.
Speaking of the possible return of ethnic Kosovo Albanians to
Kosovo, President Tudjman said it was difficult to imagine a return
to the previous state of affairs after the current war.
Without a political solution there will be no peace, he stressed.
"It is a historical fact that Kosovo is the cradle of the Serb
nation, that Serbia's most important historical monuments and
Orthodox monasteries are located in Kosovo." In solving problems,
"one must start from reality, from demographic reports, but also
from strategic interests," Tudjman said.
Conditions for coexistence should be provided, he believes, so that
Serbs may satisfy their national demands in that part of Kosovo
where they are higher in number, while in the other part of Kosovo,
Albanians should be given the highest autonomy.
President Tudjman said that if continued war against Serbia brought
a Serb refugee wave wanting to enter Croatia, Croatia could not
accept them as that would mean the creation of a new Kosovo in
Croatia.
(hina) ha jn