"Rhetoric suggests war is not over, but merely on pause"

Former Serbian ambassador to Croatia Radivoj Cveticanin says the rhetoric between the two countries "suggests the war never definitively ended."

Izvor: Beta

Monday, 01.08.2016.

17:05

"Rhetoric suggests war is not over, but merely on pause"

Cveticanin, who now works as journalist for Belgrade-based daily Danas, said that the current crisis in relations between the two states and the two peoples has been "produced by their internal relations."

"Especially - if you'll excuse this asymmetry - those in Croatia. Recent Croatian governments, that of Milanovic, but even more so those of Oreskovic and Karamarko, have been soft on the right-wing and on nationalism, and a resurgence of a bad history was inevitable," Cveticanin said.

He considers this "a dangerous development" and thinks it is "about time" to stop further deterioration.

Cveticanin also thinks "Belgrade is running a risk that Croatia might once again slow down its EU membership negotiations," and adds that "compromises and backing down are not the worst thing in politics."

"My experience tells me that certain straining can be expected from Zagreb, as a kind of historical resentment, even if the atmosphere in relations were to improve radically," said Cveticanin.

He also thinks that relations could improve after elections in Croatia.

"The campaign, of course, will rely on stereotypes regarding Serbia, but there is space for a certain hope that once all that is over - considering that the HDZ with Plenkovic will not be the same as the HDZ with Karamarko, regardless of all the so-called anti-Serb attributes that come with Plenkovic," said Cveticanin.

According to the former diplomat, "Plenkovic could change the political climate in Croatia whether in power or in opposition" - and then Serbia "would have no choice but to be silent."

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