ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - The president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party said on Wednesday he did not know what retired general Mirko Norac, whose arrest was ordered by the Rijeka County Court earlier today, was charged with.
The state prosecutor's office in the northern Adriatic city requested the county court to include Norac in an investigation into war crimes committed against Croatian Serb civilians in the central town of Gospic in 1991. "Mirko Norac is a hero who prevented Gospic from becoming another Vukovar, and a general of the victorious army, of which we were proud," HDZ's Ivo Sanader told a news conference. He added he did "not know of a case in which a state is ashamed of its generals as Croatia is ashamed of generals from the Homeland Defence War in which the state was created." The president of the strongest opposition party called the request for Norac's arrest a "political c
ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - The president of the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ) party said on Wednesday he did not know what retired
general Mirko Norac, whose arrest was ordered by the Rijeka County
Court earlier today, was charged with.
The state prosecutor's office in the northern Adriatic city
requested the county court to include Norac in an investigation
into war crimes committed against Croatian Serb civilians in the
central town of Gospic in 1991.
"Mirko Norac is a hero who prevented Gospic from becoming another
Vukovar, and a general of the victorious army, of which we were
proud," HDZ's Ivo Sanader told a news conference. He added he did
"not know of a case in which a state is ashamed of its generals as
Croatia is ashamed of generals from the Homeland Defence War in
which the state was created."
The president of the strongest opposition party called the request
for Norac's arrest a "political case" and urged the ruling
coalition to "stop making decisions which break up Croatia's
national corps."
He slammed a majority decision which turned down a HDZ request that
parliament's House of Representatives adjourn today's session
until the prime minister submitted a report on all circumstances
concerning the possible arrest of Norac.
PM Racan said tonight he was at a loss as to why HDZ MPs would request
that he issue a report on a matter which was in the exclusive
competence of the judiciary.
Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic said Norac was supposed to turn
himself in to the Rijeka County Court investigating judge by 18.00
hours, but that he did not do so and the matter was under police
jurisdiction.
Ivanisevic said that Milan Canic, Norac's deputy at the former
Gospic defence headquarters, was arrested today. Canic was
interviewed in Rijeka, denying all accusations.
(hina) ha sb