23.09.11. 08:36:01 NEWS-H9232259
BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN NO. 8004
CROATIAN PRESIDENT GIVES SPEECH AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
NEW YORK/ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - Once a recipient of international assistance Croatia rapidly turned into a provider of assistance and will keep being engaged in peace operations under the auspices of the United Nations, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said in his speech at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
The topic of the session was mediation in settling conflicts by peaceful means.
President Josipovic said that peace in post-conflict countries must be strengthened and reinforced and that the justice was necessary in order to ensure the sincere reconciliation and lasting peace.
Croatia firmly supports efforts to put an end to the impunity of serious crimes, Josipovic said reiterating that his country supported international criminal law and notably the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He went on to say that Croatia supported the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and that it highly appreciated the legacy of that UN tribunal in its contribution to international justice and reconciliation. However further development of international and national judiciaries should be based on drawing lessons from the weaknesses of the ICTY, he added.
Josipovic said that being a NATO member and a prospective member of the European Union, Croatia wants southeastern Europe to be a region of security, stability and progress.
Upon its admission to the EU, Croatia will advocate the enlargement of the European Union and will not use outstanding bilateral issues as a precondition for the integration of other aspirants into the EU, he said.
Josipovic said that Croatia continued promoting human rights and paid attention to efforts to abolish the death penalty as well as to gender equality and to the struggle against any form of discrimination.
According to his speech, Croatia supports values and goals of the UN global anti-terrorist strategy.
As for the latest developments in the Arab world, Josipovic said that those political developments were rooted into legitimate aspirations of peoples for the improvement of their economic conditions and increasing participation in the political life.
He conveyed Croatia's readiness to help the people of Libia to reconstruct their country after the conflict.
He reiterated that it was necessary to start soon the negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians so as to achieve a solution resulting in the mutual recognition of the two states.
Before his speech. President Josipovic said that attendance at sessions of the UN General Assembly was important for Croatia's foreign policy and the country's position on the international scene, adding that during his current stay in New York he met a number of statesmen, including US President Barack Obama.
Josipovic said that on Wednesday evening local time, he spoke briefly to President Obama at a reception at the New York Public Library.
Josipovic said he also met many other statesmen, including Serbian President Boris Tadic, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the presidents of Macedonia and Slovenia.
Josipovic described his visit to New York, where he attended the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, as "short and substantial".
On Friday morning Josipovic departed from New York to Warsaw where he will attend the "Music and Politics" to be organised by the International Association of Music Information Centres.
CZECH LOWER HOUSE HEAD FOR COMBINING VOTES ON CROATIA, CZECH EXEMPTION
PRAGUE, Sept 22 (Hina) - The speaker of the Czech House of Representatives, Miroslava Nemcova, said in Prague on Thursday that she was in favour of combining the voting on the ratification of Croatia's European Union accession treaty with the vote on the Czech Republic's opt-out from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights as part of the Lisbon Treaty.
"There are two positions. The CzechRepublic has already announced that it will ask for its opt-out. We are now waiting for jurists' opinion and for them to say whether the vote will be combined or separate. I personally support combining the vote, but we will see what they say," Nemcova told Hina after she held talks with Croatian Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic in the Czech capital.
Croatia is expected to sign the Treaty of Accession with the EU in early December, which will be followed by the procedure for its ratification in EU member-states, including the CzechRepublic.
It is still uncertain whether the vote on the ratification of the Croatia-EU treaty and on the Czech exemption from the Treaty of Lisbon will be combined or held separately.
Preliminarily it was agreed in Brussels that the Czech exemption, which was requested by President Vaclav Klaus in 2009, would be added to the text of Croatia's EU accession treaty so that it may be adopted in all EU member states.
However, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has recently said that those two votes will probably be held separately in the Czech parliament as those are two different kinds of contract.
The government led by Prime Minister Petr Necas, however, has so far advocated the merger of the voting on the two matters.
The opposition Social Democrats, who support Croatia's EU entry, oppose the opt-out for the Czech Republic as they believe that it would undermine the protection of Czech citizens' social rights.
Bebic said today he believed that Croatia's treaty would be ratified on time regardless of the outcome of internal developments on the Czech political scene, as all political parties in the Czech Republic supported Croatia's admission to the EU.
"We are familiar with those specific matters and the reservations which the CzechRepublic has in its relationship with the EU. In the event of a combined vote, there may be certain delays, but I believe that the process of ratification will be completed on time both in the lower and in the upper house of the Czech Parliament," Bebic said.
Nemcova said that the CzechRepublic had supported Croatia since the first day of the accession negotiations and it would keep doing so.
After his meeting with Nemcova, Bebic said that their talks had focused on areas where bilateral cooperation could be broadened, such as investment in the economy, energy, infrastructure and tourism.
Bebic arrived in Prague this morning for a two-day official visit to the CzechRepublic. He is to meet with Prime Minister Necas and the speaker of the upper house, Milan Stech.
PLAQUE COMMEMORATING CROATIAN SCIENTIST UNVEILED IN PRAGUE
PRAGUE, Sept 22 (Hina) - Croatian Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic and representatives of the Croatian and Czech academic communities unveiled in Prague on Thursday a plaque commemorating Croatian scientist Andrija Mohorovicic on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his discovery of discontinuity between the Earth's crust and mantle, one of the most important contributions of a Croatian scientist to world science.
The ceremony was also attended by ZagrebUniversity head Aleksa Bjelis, the head of the Prague Slavic Library, Lukas Babka, and PragueUniversity deputy head Jan Skrha.
"Prague was for a long time the scientific and university capital of the Croatian people. Many of the 20th century ideas came to the south from Prague," said Bebic.
In the late 19th century, Mohorovicic studied mathematics and physics at Prague's CharlesUniversity, which used to be part of today's Clementinum complex.
The plaque commemorating the renowned Croatian geophysicist, meteorologist and seismologist who discovered the boundary between the Earth's crust and mantle (named in his honour the Mohorovicic discontinuity, Moho), was installed by the Zagreb University, the Croatian Institute of Hydrometeorology, the Croatian Geology Institute, the Czech National Library, and the Croatian-Czech Society whose representatives also attended the ceremony.
The bronze memorial plaque with Mohorovicic's image was made by Czech artist Martin Zet. Mohorovicic is one of the few great Croatian scientists honoured with a monument in a foreign country.
Mohorovicic established Croatia's seismological and meteorological service, and he earned world fame for his work in seismology.
In the early 20th century, Mohorovicic equipped the Zagreb Seismological Service with state-of-the-art seismographs, making it one of the world's best equipped seismological services. He also established the Speaking Clock service.
CROATIAN AND AUSTRIANSTATE SECRETARIES MEET FOR CONSULTATIONS
ZAGREB, Sept 22 (Hina) - The State Secretary for European Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Andrej Plenkovic, on Thursday held regular political consultations with the Secretary-General at the Austrian Ministry of European and International Affairs, Johannes Kyrle, the Croatian ministry said in a statement.
Plenkovic and Kyrle emphasised the traditionally very good and friendly relations between the two countries, and exchanged views on further consular cooperation.
Plenkovic spoke of the planned pace of activities relating to the signing of Croatia's European Union accession treaty, and of steps being taken to inform the Croatian public about the benefits of EU membership before the referendum.
Kyrle reiterated that Austria supported Croatia's EU membership bid, highlighting possibilities for further cooperation between Austria and Croatia.
The talks also focused on the importance of cooperation between the two countries as part of the EU's Danube Strategy, and views were exchanged on the situation in Southeast Europe. The two officials said that the prospect of EU membership was the best contribution to the stability and prosperity of Southeast Europe, which they said was important not just for the region, but for entire Europe as well, the statement said.
Kyrle presented former Croatian Ambassador Zoran Jasic with Austria's gold medal of merit.
Kyrle also met with Croatian Defence Minister Davor Bozinovic. They discussed bilateral cooperation in the area of defence and security, the situation in Southeast Europe, and the situation in the countries where Croatian and Austrian troops were deployed as part of international peace missions.
PM SAYS REACTIONS TO EU ACCESSION TREATY GOOD
ZAGREB, Sept 22 (Hina) - Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Thursday the first reactions to the treaty on Croatia's accession to the European Union, which was made public on Wednesday, were good and that she felt that citizens understood that the government had not kept anything secret at any moment.
Our wish from the moment Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk brought the treaty to Zagreb was to make it public. We couldn't make it public before the European Council declassified it and I think this will help the referendum on EU accession to succeed, Kosor told reporters.
She said the war veterans' reactions to the treaty were excellent.
The veterans have seen that the claims, made in the media as well, that disabled veterans' pensions will be reduced, are not correct, said Kosor.
The government yesterday posted on its website the Croatian translation of the accession treaty, which is still subject to legal and linguistic revision, and the English-language draft accession treaty. The 195-page text is divided into five sections, from treaty principles and adjustments to permanent and provisional regulations, and regulations on the implementation of the treaty.
Polish Ambassador to Croatia Wieslaw Tarka said on Wednesday, before the treaty was made public, that in Poland the situation had been similar as in Croatia because in "the six weeks between the first draft treaty and the final version there was a lot of nervousness in the public" and suspicion "that the treaty might contain something more than was said."
He said that at the request of the Croatian government to the Polish EU Presidency and the secretariat of the Council of the EU, a decision was made on Wednesday to make the draft treaty publicly available.
PM ANNOUNCES LAW TO DECLARE NULL AND VOID INDICTMENTS FROM EX-YUGOSLAVIA
ZAGREB, Sept 22 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has said that the government is thinking about adopting a law to declare null and void all acts and indictments of the judicial bodies and military courts of the former Yugoslav People's Army and the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in order to put an end to the harassment of Croatian war veterans and other citizens who were accused of war crimes by former JNA prosecutorial authorities.
"We are working on that," Kosor said on Thursday commenting on cases such as Tihomir Purda who was arrested at a Bosnian-Croatian border crossing on an international warrant issued by Serbia on the basis of a war crimes indictment issued against him by a military court in Belgrade. He was later freed and cleared of the charges.
Justice Minister Drazen Bosnjakovic said on Wednesday that indictments against Vladimir Seks, Ivan Vekic, Branimir Glavas and Tomislav Mercep had been sent by Serbia, accusing them of war crimes committed in 1991.
"The fact is that Croatia was a victim of military aggression, that we were attacked and that Croatians defended their country and had to free the occupied areas," Kosor said addressing reporters in Zagreb.
She called on the justice ministry and the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor to take the necessary steps to protect Croatians from the harassment caused by indictments from Serbia.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks said on Wednesday he did not recognise the indictments and decisions of the former JNA prosecutor's offices and courts, as they were the documents of a criminal organisation Croatia had defeated.
"I don't recognise the decisions of the non-existent Yugoslav state, the decisions of a defeated army and its military courts and prosecutor's offices nor do I want to receive them," Seks said.
Wartime interior minister Ivan Vekic said he had received an indictment from the Belgrade court which accused him together with some 40 people of war crimes. He said that the indictment was issued by the Serbian military prosecutorial authorities in 1992.
WAR VETERANS' ASSOCIATION CONDEMNS LATEST WAR CRIMES INDICTMENTS FROM SERBIA
ZAGREB, Sept 22 (Hina) - The Association of Croatian Disabled Veterans of the Homeland War (HVIDR-a) issued a statement on Thursday strongly condemning the latest indictments from Serbia against 40 Croatian veterans and politicians Vladimir Seks, Ivan Vekic, Branimir Glavas and Tomislav Mercep.
By taking over the indictments that were written by military prosecutors from the defunct Yugoslav federation in 1992, Serbia has shown that it has not stopped its aggression on Croatia and that it continues it with judicial means, ignoring the laws and international law, according to the statement.
"It is common knowledge that the so-called indictments for alleged crimes and genocide, with which the Croatian veterans are charged, are based on confessions extorted through the torture of prisoners of war in violation of all rules of international law," the HVIDR said.
The latest indictments and reactions to Operation Storm as Croatia's legitimate operation in 1995 to regain its territory show that Serbia is doing all it can to forge history, apportion the blame between victim and aggressor, and justify its military aggression on Croatia as a civil war in the former Yugoslavia, the statement said.
SERBIAN OFFICIAL SAYS ALL INDICTEES SHOULD BE PROSECUTED
BELGRADE, Sept 22 (Hina) - Speaking of indictments against current and former Croatian officials and war veterans for alleged crimes committed in Vukovar, a state secretary at the Serbian Justice Ministry said on Thursday that everyone against whom there was evidence of a crime should be prosecuted, and asked justice ministries not to interfere in those proceedings.
The Serbian and Croatian justice ministries should not interfere in war crimes proceedings and everyone should be prosecuted, regardless of their office, Serbian media quoted Slobodan Homen as saying.
"Since that applies to representatives of the Serb people, it should also apply to Croat representatives," Tanjug quoted him as saying. He added that if there was enough evidence that the suspects had committed a crime, all should be prosecuted.
Homen said he was confident that the Serbian war crimes prosecutor's office had sufficient evidence against the suspects, adding that everyone should realise that someone had to be arrested and turned over to Serbia before any trial could start.
Homen said this was another case which would show how the states in which the suspects were would behave.
Former Croatian Interior Minister Ivan Vekic said yesterday that he received through Osijek's Municipal Court an indictment issued by the Belgrade High Court's war crimes department which accused him and another 40 people of war crimes and genocide. He said it was a copied indictment issued by the Serbian military prosecutor's office in 1992.