”It isn’t clear to me why there are dilemmas about our statements on the verdict,” said Andrej Plenković at today’s government session.
At today’s session of the government, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković took the opportunity to comment on recent political events, in particular, last week’s verdict of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and allegations that the government and him personally had given differing positions on the judgment, reports N1 on December 7, 2017.
Plenković started by saying a few words about his visit to Croats living in Bosnia and Herzegovina this week. “The message that we have sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but above all to the Croats living there as a constitutional people, whom we want to be equal with the other two peoples, as well as with all the others who live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is that we remain committed to developing good neighbourly relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and to providing strong support for the country’s European path,” said the Prime Minister.
“With regards to the Hague verdict, I have very clearly expressed regret and condolences for victims who are linked to these specific crimes, but also for the victims of all crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for all Croatian victims who were numerous in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I do not understand why there are dilemmas about our statements on the verdict against the six Bosnian Croats. We were quite clear in our comments and assessments. As a responsible member of NATO and the European Union, we respect the verdicts of the International Criminal Court; this was never in question. But, at the same time, we can express our dissatisfaction with certain parts of the verdicts. That is what we have done, especially with regards to the allusions about the involvement of the Croatian state leadership.
If there were no support from Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there would be no majority will of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina as demonstrated during the independence referendum in the country, and there would be no Dayton peace agreement as was agreed,” Plenković said.
Translated from N1.
