The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) MP told reporters that no country had ever published a list of participants in war operations. He was commenting on a bill of amendments to the law on the rights of war veterans and their families which envisages the publication of the veterans' register. The government sent the bill to parliament today.
Asked to comment on the government's claim that the publication of the register would not breach personal data protection regulations, Ivic said this protection was guaranteed by the constitution and laws to all citizens, including war veterans, and that "the publication of such information... is absolutely illegal."
Asked if the figure of more than 500,000 veterans was realistic, Ivic said one should consider several facts, such as that the Homeland War lasted six years and there were several mobilisations that contributed to that figure, and that nearly 200,000 soldiers were mobilised in the final military operations alone.
Ivic said one must also not forget that until 15 January 1992 there were 270,000 defenders in army and police units, and that the rest were mobilised and joined the army between 1992 and 1995, making the final figure half a million.
He said the figure was realistic and that 500,000 defenders had indeed taken part in defending Croatia in various ways, not all of them in combat units.
Responding to a question, Ivic said the publication of the register made no sense, as suspicions that someone had illegally obtained war veteran status could easily be examined by relevant institutions.
He said most veterans' associations were against the publication of the register.