ZAGREB, Oct 29 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives continued its 43rd session on Friday with a debate on a report by a commission of inquiry whose task was to establish the circumstances and accountability of
state and political bodies of the Socialist Republic of Croatia (SRH) for the seizing of Croatian Territorial Defence (TO) weaponry up to 30 May 1990. The report was presented by commission president Bosiljko Misetic. The commission interrogated 20 witnesses in an attempt to establish facts relative to who made the decision on the seizing of TO weaponry, how and by whom in Croatia it was carried out, who, if anybody, opposed it, the quantity of weaponry seized, and how much it cost Croatia. The commission established the anti-constitutional and illegal decision on the seizing of the weaponry was made by top officials at the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA
ZAGREB, Oct 29 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of
Representatives continued its 43rd session on Friday with a debate
on a report by a commission of inquiry whose task was to establish
the circumstances and accountability of state and political bodies
of the Socialist Republic of Croatia (SRH) for the seizing of
Croatian Territorial Defence (TO) weaponry up to 30 May 1990.
The report was presented by commission president Bosiljko Misetic.
The commission interrogated 20 witnesses in an attempt to establish
facts relative to who made the decision on the seizing of TO
weaponry, how and by whom in Croatia it was carried out, who, if
anybody, opposed it, the quantity of weaponry seized, and how much
it cost Croatia.
The commission established the anti-constitutional and illegal
decision on the seizing of the weaponry was made by top officials at
the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). The decision was made on 14
April 1990, after the first round of multiparty elections in
Croatia, and became effective on 14 May.
According to the commission, the intention of JNA's leadership was
to retain political and military authority which would ensure
Greater Serbia hegemony, regardless of electoral results.
The commission established the leadership of the Association of
Communists of Croatia (SKH) had failed to in any way react to the JNA
decision, thus failing to execute its duties as stipulated by the
Constitution and the law.
SKH's leader at the time, Ivica Racan, now in the Social Democratic
Party, told the commission of inquiry the decision had been a
political one intended to avoid any threats of the proclamation of a
state of emergency or a military intervention in the SRH.
The commission said the political decision explanation was
unconvincing, arguing it was unacceptable that the political
leaders at the time were unable to predict how disarmament would
affect the Croatian people.
By failing to take adequate measures, SRH's party and political
leadership cannot be exempted from moral accountability for the
total disarmament of the Croatian people on the eve of the Greater
Serbia aggression, the commission concluded.
Misetic said the commission established on the basis of witness
testimonies that during the seizing, Croatia's TO was deprived of
weaponry sufficient to arm for 204,000 soldiers who could have made
31 brigades, including a special brigade.
The commission established that only a small number of people
opposed the seizing of TO's weaponry, among them the workers of
Zagreb-based factory "Mega", and that under the circumstances,
hardly anybody could strongly counter the execution of the JNA
leadership decision.
The establishment of the commission of inquiry, on 26 March 1999,
was initiated by the parliamentary bench of the Croatian Party of
Rights.
(hina) ha