Croatian president on "criminal NDH, worrisome divisions"

Croatian president on "criminal NDH, worrisome divisions"

Jasenovac was a Second World War death camp ran by the Ustasha regime of the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (NDH) - a place of mass murder of Serbs, Jews, and Roma.

"I am worried that ideological divisions are strengthening in society again, especially over the past few days, in connection with the marking of remembrance day for the innocent victims of Jasenovac, the Ustasha execution site of the so-called Independent State of Croatia that was least of all independent and least of all protecting the interests of the Croatian people, while the Ustasha regime was a criminal regime," she told reporters in her cabinet today.

Beta agency is reporting that Grabar-Kitarovic went on to say that "anti-fascism is built into the foundations of the Croatian Constitution, while modern Croatia grew out of the foundations of the Homeland War under the leadership of its first president, Franjo Tudjman."

She made these statements ahead of a meeting in Zagreb with representatives of the Coordination of Jewish Communities in Croatia and the Serb National Council (SNV), during which she had hoped to persuade them to change their decision to boycott this year's official Jasenovac commemoration.

However, Grabar-Kitarovic did not succeed. Coordination President Ognjen Kraus confirmed for reporters that this organization would hold a separate ceremony in Jasenovac on April 15.

SNV representatives also confirmed they would boycott the official commemoration on April 22, adding they would soon decide whether to take part in the one organized by the Jewish Coordination.