ZAGREB, Sept 28 (Hina) - A letter 12 Croatian generals forwarded to the Croatian public on Thursday urging ending the vilification of the Homeland Defence War provoked comments by many parliamentary representatives. Most agree the
authors of the letter were measured also in their assessment that, to lessen tensions in the society, one should act through the institutions of the system. Ivan Ninic, a deputy for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which is a member of the ruling coalition, said he was not 'thrilled' by the generals' open letter, "which is not common in democratic countries." Although Ninic does not believe the letter represents a military riot, he believes that by addressing the public, the generals have skipped the institutions of authority. "No one among the responsible officials was tarnishing the Homeland War, quite the contrary, out of respect for the 99 percent of honest soldiers who defended the Croatian state, one should punish those who are responsible for war crimes," Ninic said, adding the signatories of the letter supported the punishment of crimes as well. Liberal Party's (LS) deputy Zlatko Kramaric told Hina the largest part of the letter was written in very measured tones, but he
ZAGREB, Sept 28 (Hina) - A letter 12 Croatian generals forwarded to
the Croatian public on Thursday urging ending the vilification of
the Homeland Defence War provoked comments by many parliamentary
representatives.
Most agree the authors of the letter were measured also in their
assessment that, to lessen tensions in the society, one should act
through the institutions of the system.
Ivan Ninic, a deputy for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which is
a member of the ruling coalition, said he was not 'thrilled' by the
generals' open letter, "which is not common in democratic
countries." Although Ninic does not believe the letter represents a
military riot, he believes that by addressing the public, the
generals have skipped the institutions of authority.
"No one among the responsible officials was tarnishing the Homeland
War, quite the contrary, out of respect for the 99 percent of honest
soldiers who defended the Croatian state, one should punish those
who are responsible for war crimes," Ninic said, adding the
signatories of the letter supported the punishment of crimes as
well.
Liberal Party's (LS) deputy Zlatko Kramaric told Hina the largest
part of the letter was written in very measured tones, but he
believes its timing is not very good because of the current tensions
in the society. It is a pity that the generals did not react in 1995
to incidents which occurred then, and they could have done it,
Kramaric said. He believes state institutions should be let to work
freely and independently so that tensions in society could be
lessened.
Istrian Democratic Assembly's (IDS) vice-president Damir Kajin
believes, too, that the generals could have reacted on some
previous occasion in the reasonable and conciliating tone
demonstrated in the letter. Nevertheless, the letter is
conciliating and decent and one should consider it very seriously,
Kajin said.
Democratic Centre's (DC) deputy Mate Granic believes the letter is
an invitation to establish dialogue on the political scene among
the authorities, the opposition, and soldiers. Croatia needs
dialogue at the moment, Granic said.
He also believes the letter should be taken seriously because it
reflects the stand of an important population of Homeland War
participants. Very dangerous rifts and tensions have appeared in
society, especially as regards the situation with veterans. On the
one hand, one should doubtless condemn and process any crime,
regardless of who committed it, and on the other, one should protect
the basic values of the Homeland War, Granic said.
The opposition Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) supports every word
from the generals' open letter, HSP president Ante Djapic told
Hina. I believe, he said, that it will contribute to putting an end
to efforts to destroy the foundations of the state and question the
results and values of the Homeland War. The current authorities are
trying to depict soldiers as extremists and the ultimate goal of
this policy is to introduce dictatorship aimed at facilitating the
process of integrating Croatia into the western Balkans, Djapic
claims.
In that sense, he continues, the generals' letter is even more
important than the message of the Croatian Bishops' Conference. If
the authorities continue doing what they have been doing so far, the
HSP will not allow tensions to lessen, he added.
The crisis can be resolved with early elections because this
government has shown that it is incompetent to solve problems which
have accumulated in all areas, the HSP head believes.
(hina) jn rml