PULA, March 9 (Hina) - The leader of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Vesna Pusic, said at a news conference in Pula on Tuesday that the HNS was the only party which consistently advocated cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal
in The Hague, and added that the incumbent government shared this position today, although it had opposed it until recently.
PULA, March 9 (Hina) - The leader of the Croatian People's Party (HNS),
Vesna Pusic, said at a news conference in Pula on Tuesday that the HNS
was the only party which consistently advocated cooperation with the
UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, and added that the incumbent
government shared this position today, although it had opposed it
until recently.#L#
"As regards all previous indictments from the Hague tribunal, the HNS
has advocated strict respect for the law, believing that the state
cannot interfere in indictments against individuals but can only
provide the necessary documents," Pusic said. As a party concerned,
Croatia should challenge at the Hague tribunal only those allegations
from indictments which refer to the state policy and the nature of the
Homeland War, and not those referring to individuals and their
possible responsibility," Pusic said.
PM Ivo Sanader agreed with this position at yesterday's meeting with
the heads of parliamentary parties, Pusic said.
Commenting on recent protests against indictments from The Hague,
which were staged by the Association for the Protection of Homeland
War Values, Pusic said she had been wondering herself where (the
association's leader) Mirko Condic was and why he was not making any
comments given that he knew that more indictments had arrived.
She recalled mass protest rallies in Split, Zagreb and Osijek that
were staged by similar associations while the coalition government was
in power.
The current situation is the same as before, the laws are the same,
the only thing that has changed is the HDZ's position on cooperation
with the U.N. tribunal, Pusic said.
(Hina) rml sb