BERLIN, April 28 (Hina) - The history of Croatia is marked with tragedy and suffering, which is why Croatia condemns and rejects any form of extremism, radicalism and intolerance, Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said at a
conference on anti-Semitism in Berlin on Wednesday.
BERLIN, April 28 (Hina) - The history of Croatia is marked with tragedy
and suffering, which is why Croatia condemns and rejects any form of
extremism, radicalism and intolerance, Croatian Foreign Minister
Miomir Zuzul said at a conference on anti-Semitism in Berlin on
Wednesday.#L#
The two-day conference, which is organised by the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe and the German government, is being
attended by many international politicians and representatives of
Jewish and non-governmental organisations.
"There have been too many tragedies and suffering in Croatia's history
and that is why we condemn and reject all forms of extremism,
radicalism, ethnic and religious hatred, discrimination and
intolerance, regardless of their origin," Zuzul said at the
conference, addressing its participants after US Secretary of State
Colin Powell.
The new Croatian government has taken a firm stand on the tragic
events of World War II, Zuzul said.
He recalled that Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader recently paid
tribute to the victims of the WWII concentration camp of Jasenovac.
The Prime Minister "explicitly condemned the crimes that were
committed there and sent a clear message to young generations that no
ideological or political goal can justify violence, terror and mass
killings".
Zuzul went on to say that he himself had sent a similar message from
the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem on the same day
as Sanader and that lessons about the Holocaust were part of curricula
in all Croatian schools.
The Croatian minister today met on the margins of the conference Irish
Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham,
the new Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, OSCE Chairman
Solomon Passy and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
All the officials congratulated Croatia on receiving a positive avis
from the European Commission, saying that the recommendation on
opening accession talks with Croatia was truly deserved, Zuzul said
after the meetings.
Zuzul received assurances from his Irish counterpart that the issue of
Croatia's EU candidacy would be on the agenda of the European Council
on June 17.
Zuzul will end his visit to Berlin this afternoon by meeting the US
Secretary of State.
The Berlin conference was opened by German Foreign Minister Fischer,
who said that anti-Semitism was
not the problem of other countries, ages or cultures, but concerned
all.
Because of its history Germany is particularly aware of the need to
fight anti-Semitism, he said.
Our history has given us the responsibility to never again let
anti-Semitists threaten Jews as the majority keeps silent about it,
Fischer said.
The conference was also addressed by German President Johannes Rau.
(Hina) rml