EP drafts resolution condemning Šešelj

EP drafts resolution condemning Šešelj

"The EP strongly condemns the hate speech of Vojislav Šešelj and the insults toward the victims of the war in former Yugoslavia, including his shameful statement on the day of remembrance for the victims of Vukovar," says the draft version of the document, to which Tanjug said it had access.

The EP will, according to the draft, ask the Serbian government to distance itself from the statements of the leader of the Radicals (SRS) in which he calls for the redrawing of borders in the Balkans and his derogatory talk about other nations and their representatives.

It is still not know what the final draft of the resolution will look like. Last week, at the request of Croatian MEPs, it was introduced to the agenda of the plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg in urgent procedure. It has been the subject of intensive consultations of parliamentary groups during the past several days.

One of the things that has not yet been agreed on is "the formulation of the criticism of the Hague Tribunal," which decided to release Šešelj after holding him in detention for 12 years. His release is provisional and came while the verdict in his case is still pending. The court did not impose a ban on Šešelj's political activity as a condition.

While some MEPs want to criticize the tribunal for its poor handling of the case, others noted that the European parliament previously wholeheartedly supported its work, and want the remarks softened, Tanjug learned from sources close to the working group drafting the resolution.

The final text of the draft will be agreed on by Thursday, when lawmakers will vote on it.

Šešelj, who is on trial for crimes against humanity, was recently released from for humanitarian reasons after it was determined that he was suffering from a serious illness, and while there is a delay in his trial due to procedural reasons.

Upon returning to Belgrade, the SRS leader held a rally and made a number of inflammatory statements. His congratulatory message to Serbian Chetniks on the anniversary of the fall of Vukovar was particularly difficult for Croatia, said the agency.

It was announced in Zagreb that a similar resolution on Šešelj would soon be adopted by the Croatian parliament.