“Lawsuit not its own purpose”

Croatia's President-elect Ivo Josipovic told B92 Radio that he would be starting his presidency with “open and spread arms” ready for talks and negotiations. According to Josipovic, Serbia “will sooner or later have to face the fact that some countries have recognized independent Kosovo and that relations with other countries should not be build based on their position about the status of Kosovo”. “Lawsuit not its own purpose” The Croatian genocide lawsuit against Serbia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is not a goal for itself, he said. “The lawsuit was filed when Serbia was not ready to negotiate about anything. That was in the late 1990s and early 2000s and Serbia was not cooperating with the Hague or punishing the crimes. It did not want to speak about stolen cultural treasure and cooperation on finding imprisoned and missing persons was also poor. These were the main goals. Therefore, if they are reached the question would be what the most important thing is and how to balance the interests,” the new Croatian president stated. Croatia’s “primary interests are punishing war crimes, cooperation on finding the imprisoned and missing persons and return of robbed cultural treasure and there is a chance to withdraw the lawsuit if Serbia keeps working on these issues,” said he. In early January this year, Serbia filed a countersuit, accusing Croatia of committing genocide in the early 1990s. “I am not undermining the lawsuit, I only think that it would be in the Croatian and Serbian best interest to make a compromise and address the issues without the lawsuits,” Josipovic said. He stressed that withdrawal of the lawsuit would have to wait a while longer, “because there were many things that needed to be agreed upon”. Josipovic added that war damages “had not been specified in the suit”. “The reparation of the total war damage cannot be requested in a genocide lawsuit, that is a myth which is present in the Croatian, and I also think in the Serbian public. Such suit could perhaps request compensation for genocide itself but not for the total war damage.” Josipovic stated that Serbian President Boris Tadic’s decision not to attend his inauguration in February was “unreasoning”. “I think that it is an unreasoning move that nobody will benefit from. This is really Serbia’s business and I do not want to lecture, but I really do not see what Serbia will gain by running away from the representatives of Kosovo. I do not see how anything important would improve by President Tadic not coming to Zagreb because of the Kosovo president,” he stated. Josipovic said he believed that he would have good cooperation with the Croatian government and that potential obstacles and problems regaridng foreign affairs would primarily be solved by talks and negotiations while keeping in mind Croatia’s interests. Ivo Josipovic (FoNet, file)

“Lawsuit not its own purpose”

The Croatian genocide lawsuit against Serbia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is not a goal for itself, he said.

“The lawsuit was filed when Serbia was not ready to negotiate about anything. That was in the late 1990s and early 2000s and Serbia was not cooperating with the Hague or punishing the crimes. It did not want to speak about stolen cultural treasure and cooperation on finding imprisoned and missing persons was also poor. These were the main goals. Therefore, if they are reached the question would be what the most important thing is and how to balance the interests,” the new Croatian president stated.

Croatia’s “primary interests are punishing war crimes, cooperation on finding the imprisoned and missing persons and return of robbed cultural treasure and there is a chance to withdraw the lawsuit if Serbia keeps working on these issues,” said he.

In early January this year, Serbia filed a countersuit, accusing Croatia of committing genocide in the early 1990s.

“I am not undermining the lawsuit, I only think that it would be in the Croatian and Serbian best interest to make a compromise and address the issues without the lawsuits,” Josipović said.

He stressed that withdrawal of the lawsuit would have to wait a while longer, “because there were many things that needed to be agreed upon”.

Josipović added that war damages “had not been specified in the suit”.

“The reparation of the total war damage cannot be requested in a genocide lawsuit, that is a myth which is present in the Croatian, and I also think in the Serbian public. Such suit could perhaps request compensation for genocide itself but not for the total war damage.”

Josipović stated that Serbian President Boris Tadić’s decision not to attend his inauguration in February was “unreasoning”.

“I think that it is an unreasoning move that nobody will benefit from. This is really Serbia’s business and I do not want to lecture, but I really do not see what Serbia will gain by running away from the representatives of Kosovo. I do not see how anything important would improve by President Tadić not coming to Zagreb because of the Kosovo president,” he stated.

Josipović said he believed that he would have good cooperation with the Croatian government and that potential obstacles and problems regaridng foreign affairs would primarily be solved by talks and negotiations while keeping in mind Croatia’s interests.