Anyone who is charged must face the charges, appear before a court and answer the charges. Presumption of innocence, meaning that everyone is innocent until proven otherwise, applies to any case, including this one, the statement said.
The full truth is in the interests of all people in Croatia. The Homeland War was a defensive, just and legitimate war of liberation. Croatia was the victim of aggression and had the right to self-defence and to liberate its territories that had been occupied. Croatia will follow further developments in this case with the greatest attention and will continue fully cooperating with the Hague tribunal in all cases against citizens of Croatia, using amici curiae as a legal instrument, the statement said.
The statement went on to say that Gotovina's arrest proved the veracity of Croatia's statements that the fugitive general was not within reach of Croatian authorities and that he was hiding outside the country. It confirmed the credibility of the Republic of Croatia and all government institutions, and its full cooperation with the Hague tribunal. It also proved right all those who trusted us and supported us at times when Croatia's efforts to cooperate with the tribunal were doubted. It has turned out now that such doubts were unwarranted.
No one can be above or beyond the law. The rule of law is one of the fundamental principles on which Croatia is based, including both domestic laws and the country's international obligations. In any way it includes the Constitutional Law on Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, which the Sabor adopted in April 1996, the statement concluded.