Croat president on genocide lawsuits

“I wish for improved relations with Serbia, and good neighborly relations will be one of the priorities of my politics,” says Croatian President Ivo Josipovic. In an interview for Belgrade daily Blic, Josipovic also stated that he hoped he would be able to make some progress at the first meeting with President Boris Tadic “at his inauguration on February 18”, according to the article. Croat president on genocide lawsuits “I would like to start cooperation and dialogue about contentious issues,“ Josipovic was quoted as saying. Commenting on the Serbian president’s announcement that he would not attend the inauguration if Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu were invited as well, the Croatian president said that ’’he had most kindly invited Tadic“ and that he would like for him to come. “I understand the problems that Serbia has with Kosovo’s proclamation of independence, but I do not wish for relations with third countries to define relations between Serbia and Croatia. Invitations to the inaugurations have been sent to all the countries we have diplomatic relations with, including Kosovo,“ he stated. The newly elected Croatian president announced that one of the topics of his first official meeting with the Serbian president would “certainly be mutual [genocide] lawsuits before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)”. “The lawsuits are definitely not contributing to the improvement of relations. That is why it is better to solve the problem without court proceedings. And it would be better if the problem had already been solved. At my inauguration I will suggest to President Tadic to address the issues without the need for the lawsuits,“ Josipovic said. Commenting on the conditions which he said that Serbia needed to fulfill so Croatia would withdraw its suit – filed a decade ago, and countered by Serbia earlier this month – he said that “the lawsuit was not a purpose to itself and that it would lose its purpose if the problems were solved.“ The Croatian president said that the names of Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic had not been mentioned in these conditions until now but that one of them was “complete cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and punishment of war crimes. And it is completely clear that the Tribunal is demanding the arrest of Mladic and Hadzic”. He rejected claims that this was Croatia’s way of showing that it was the region’s leader and that it could pressure Serbia. “Mladic is wanted by the Hague Tribunal because of the crimes. I think it is reasonable that Croatia is interested in their extradition considering the crimes they are suspected of committing in the Croatian territory. Just like Croatia was required to fulfill its obligations regarding the Hague Tribunal I do not see why it would be a problem for Serbia to fulfill its own,“ Josipovic told the daily said. Meanwhile in Belgrade, Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb Zarko Puhovski said that “better days for Croatian-Serbian relations were coming with Ivo Josipovic as president”. Puhovski spoke for B92 TV late last night when he said that it was “clear that Zagreb too would withdraw the genocide lawsuit”. Brussels is also carefully monitoring developments in the relations between Belgrade and Zagreb. According to Beta news agency, which quoted its sources with the EU Council of Ministers, the entire region would benefit from improvement of relations, “and not just Serbia and Croatia”. Hints coming from both countries that they were ready to withdraw their lawsuits have already been welcomed, says the agency.

Croat president on genocide lawsuits

“I would like to start cooperation and dialogue about contentious issues,“ Josipović was quoted as saying.

Commenting on the Serbian president’s announcement that he would not attend the inauguration if Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu were invited as well, the Croatian president said that ’’he had most kindly invited Tadić“ and that he would like for him to come.

“I understand the problems that Serbia has with Kosovo’s proclamation of independence, but I do not wish for relations with third countries to define relations between Serbia and Croatia. Invitations to the inaugurations have been sent to all the countries we have diplomatic relations with, including Kosovo,“ he stated.

The newly elected Croatian president announced that one of the topics of his first official meeting with the Serbian president would “certainly be mutual [genocide] lawsuits before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)”.

“The lawsuits are definitely not contributing to the improvement of relations. That is why it is better to solve the problem without court proceedings. And it would be better if the problem had already been solved. At my inauguration I will suggest to President Tadić to address the issues without the need for the lawsuits,“ Josipović said.

Commenting on the conditions which he said that Serbia needed to fulfill so Croatia would withdraw its suit – filed a decade ago, and countered by Serbia earlier this month – he said that “the lawsuit was not a purpose to itself and that it would lose its purpose if the problems were solved.“

The Croatian president said that the names of Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić had not been mentioned in these conditions until now but that one of them was “complete cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and punishment of war crimes. And it is completely clear that the Tribunal is demanding the arrest of Mladić and Hadžić”.

He rejected claims that this was Croatia’s way of showing that it was the region’s leader and that it could pressure Serbia.

“Mladić is wanted by the Hague Tribunal because of the crimes. I think it is reasonable that Croatia is interested in their extradition considering the crimes they are suspected of committing in the Croatian territory. Just like Croatia was required to fulfill its obligations regarding the Hague Tribunal I do not see why it would be a problem for Serbia to fulfill its own,“ Josipović told the daily said.

Meanwhile in Belgrade, Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb Žarko Puhovski said that “better days for Croatian-Serbian relations were coming with Ivo Josipović as president”.

Puhovski spoke for B92 TV late last night when he said that it was “clear that Zagreb too would withdraw the genocide lawsuit”.

Brussels is also carefully monitoring developments in the relations between Belgrade and Zagreb.

According to Beta news agency, which quoted its sources with the EU Council of Ministers, the entire region would benefit from improvement of relations, “and not just Serbia and Croatia”.

Hints coming from both countries that they were ready to withdraw their lawsuits have already been welcomed, says the agency.