ZAGREB, Oct 7 (Hina) - President of one of the ruling coalition of six parties, the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Zlatko Tomcic, said Saturday he was surprised and concerned with the fact that the international community spoke
almost with euphory about lifting sanctions imposed on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. I shall have a reserved stance towards such announcements as long as the international community directly asks Yugoslav President Milosevic be extradited to the Hague-based international war crimes tribunal, and until the newly-elected President, Kostunica, apologises to the Croatian people for everything his people during their aggression on Croatia and other neighbouring countries, Tomcic stressed during an intermission of the party's Presidency session. He stressed that his stance would remain reserved also until the international community has the same criteria for lifting sanctio
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S EUPHORIA TOWARDS FRY IS SURPRISING - TOMCIC
ZAGREB, Oct 7 (Hina) - President of one of the ruling coalition of
six parties, the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Zlatko Tomcic,
said Saturday he was surprised and concerned with the fact that the
international community spoke almost with euphory about lifting
sanctions imposed on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
I shall have a reserved stance towards such announcements as long as
the international community directly asks Yugoslav President
Milosevic be extradited to the Hague-based international war
crimes tribunal, and until the newly-elected President, Kostunica,
apologises to the Croatian people for everything his people during
their aggression on Croatia and other neighbouring countries,
Tomcic stressed during an intermission of the party's Presidency
session.
He stressed that his stance would remain reserved also until the
international community has the same criteria for lifting
sanctions and accession to various associations towards Serbia as
with all other countries, including Croatia.
"I believe these are fundamental criteria which must be respected
in order for us to speak of a normalisation of relations between
Croatia and Yugoslavia," Tomcic stressed.
Commenting n the situation in the neighbouring Yugoslavia, Tomcic
said he was satisfied with the fact that the will of the people would
be respected after all. This is the essential precondition for
democracy, he added.
Asked about the European Union's invitation to Kostunica to
participate in the upcoming summit in Zagreb, Tomcic said the
organiser can invite anybody.
I hold that the invitation should not be regarded as unacceptable,
because, in the end, we can speak with Kostunica at the summit about
conditions he must fulfil to take part in further integration
processes, Tomcic asserted.
He said he had no information about an alleged document drafted by a
UN envoy which suggested the introduction of a supra-national
institution over sovereign states of the former Yugoslavia.
Such a document would be utterly unacceptable, should it exist,
Tomcic stressed.
The HSS Presidency is holding a session Saturday to discuss the work
of party members in the executive and legislative branches of
authority.
(hina) lml