Serbian president has harsh words for Croatia

BELGRADE President Tomislav Nikolic has said that he had "big plans to finally draw a line under it" and establish good relations with Croatia and Bosnia. "This thing with Croatia's not going well," Nikolic told the Belgrade-based tabloid Kurir in an interview published on Monday. Serbian president has harsh words for Croatia "Croatian President (Ivo Josipovic) was, until this ruling (in Operation Storm case), looking for reasons why we should not reconcile. The story that he was angry because I said something about Vukovar was a lie. He was waiting for this verdict. He now wants to talk - I, as president of a people who committed crimes, and he, as president of a nation which has not been convicted of anything." He also noted that it was "cynical" that Ante Gotovina had called on ethnic Serbs to return to Croatia after his acquittal. Gotovina and another former Croatian general were found guilty of committing war crimes against Croatia's Serbs in 1995, but the appeals process before the Hague Tribunal earlier this month resulted in their acquittal. "What does he want - to gather them and then expel them again, kill them, finish the job? So that they (Serbs) would no longer even ask for their property? I dare say it - that's how the two nations, Serbs and Croats, understand truth and justice and God," the president was further quoted as saying. “When indictment was issued against Ratko Mladic in the Srebrenica case, we did not even wait for the guilty verdict, the (Serbian) parliament immediately passed a resolution condemning the Srebrenica crime. Our government arrested (Ratko) Mladic and extradited him to the Hague. I know it (Srebrenica) was a crime, and I will never say that it was not." "Croats know that the crime committed in Operation Storm was appalling, and that will be on their conscience for as long as they exist. but now they are celebrating that no one was punished for it. That is a nation on the wrong path, a people that would perhaps now put before a firing squad their own countrymen if they were to say - wait, people, that was a crime,” Nikolic said. Serbia must look for a way to cooperate with Croatia in economic and other areas of joint interest, he further stated, and added: “However, it is obvious that we cannot cooperate in a sincere and open manner with a country that celebrates its crimes. It cannot be done! It doesn't go that way! In whose name? On behalf of the victims, on behalf of their children?" When the daily's reporter noted that he would once again draw criticism for this "harsh words", the president said: "Well, let them me blame. I will always be blamed for my harsh words, while Croats will go unpunished for their crimes." According to Nikolic, "it was not right that the EU did not wish to burden Croatia with a (guilty) verdict ahead of its entry", and noted that had Serbia celebrated something of the kind - acquittals of accused war criminals - the way Croatia had done, "it would never deserve to become an EU member". He also revealed that he discussed with UN General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic the public debate scheduled for April of next year, that will focus on the Hague Tribunal and other ad-hoc UN courts, and added: "I will speak the way (Fidel) Castro spoke, until they throw me out of the hall, because it may be a unique opportunity for Serbia to say everything that's on our mind, for us to count how many Serbs Croats had killed - from the Second World War onward. It is indecent to keep Serbia away from the EU, and admit Croatia." According to her president, Serbia is a state "as well-arranged as at least half of the new EU members", and is ready to join that organization. “The fact that we have not started the talks is sign that we are yet to be presented with a new condition. I think that it is high time we entered the talks or be said in how many years we can expect that,” Nikolic told the newspaper. When asked what kind of a new condition he expects, and whether it would be unacceptable and Kosovo-related, the Serbian president answered positively. When it comes to the talks with Pristina, i.e. the Kosovo Albanian authorities, Nikolic said that “it would be profitable if Kosovo stayed completely within Serbia, and for me to be president in Pristina." “Kosovo is what Serbia can agree to, and not what the U.S. and some other members of the UN declared (it to be). Kosovo can never be taken away from Serbia,” Nikolic underlined. Asked to comment on two recent incidents when his motorcade was intercepted, the president said that it was "about arrogant (driving)" both times, but that the perpetrator of the first incident, who is employed by the MUP, "should be sanctioned". (Beta/AP, file) Tanjug Kurir

Serbian president has harsh words for Croatia

"Croatian President (Ivo Josipović) was, until this ruling (in Operation Storm case), looking for reasons why we should not reconcile. The story that he was angry because I said something about Vukovar was a lie. He was waiting for this verdict. He now wants to talk - I, as president of a people who committed crimes, and he, as president of a nation which has not been convicted of anything."

He also noted that it was "cynical" that Ante Gotovina had called on ethnic Serbs to return to Croatia after his acquittal.

Gotovina and another former Croatian general were found guilty of committing war crimes against Croatia's Serbs in 1995, but the appeals process before the Hague Tribunal earlier this month resulted in their acquittal.

"What does he want - to gather them and then expel them again, kill them, finish the job? So that they (Serbs) would no longer even ask for their property? I dare say it - that's how the two nations, Serbs and Croats, understand truth and justice and God," the president was further quoted as saying.

“When indictment was issued against Ratko Mladić in the Srebrenica case, we did not even wait for the guilty verdict, the (Serbian) parliament immediately passed a resolution condemning the Srebrenica crime. Our government arrested (Ratko) Mladić and extradited him to the Hague. I know it (Srebrenica) was a crime, and I will never say that it was not."

"Croats know that the crime committed in Operation Storm was appalling, and that will be on their conscience for as long as they exist. but now they are celebrating that no one was punished for it. That is a nation on the wrong path, a people that would perhaps now put before a firing squad their own countrymen if they were to say - wait, people, that was a crime,” Nikolić said.

Serbia must look for a way to cooperate with Croatia in economic and other areas of joint interest, he further stated, and added:

“However, it is obvious that we cannot cooperate in a sincere and open manner with a country that celebrates its crimes. It cannot be done! It doesn't go that way! In whose name? On behalf of the victims, on behalf of their children?"

When the daily's reporter noted that he would once again draw criticism for this "harsh words", the president said:

"Well, let them me blame. I will always be blamed for my harsh words, while Croats will go unpunished for their crimes."

According to Nikolić, "it was not right that the EU did not wish to burden Croatia with a (guilty) verdict ahead of its entry", and noted that had Serbia celebrated something of the kind - acquittals of accused war criminals - the way Croatia had done, "it would never deserve to become an EU member".

He also revealed that he discussed with UN General Assembly President Vuk Jeremić the public debate scheduled for April of next year, that will focus on the Hague Tribunal and other ad-hoc UN courts, and added:

"I will speak the way (Fidel) Castro spoke, until they throw me out of the hall, because it may be a unique opportunity for Serbia to say everything that's on our mind, for us to count how many Serbs Croats had killed - from the Second World War onward. It is indecent to keep Serbia away from the EU, and admit Croatia."

According to her president, Serbia is a state "as well-arranged as at least half of the new EU members", and is ready to join that organization.

“The fact that we have not started the talks is sign that we are yet to be presented with a new condition. I think that it is high time we entered the talks or be said in how many years we can expect that,” Nikolić told the newspaper.

When asked what kind of a new condition he expects, and whether it would be unacceptable and Kosovo-related, the Serbian president answered positively.

When it comes to the talks with Priština, i.e. the Kosovo Albanian authorities, Nikolić said that “it would be profitable if Kosovo stayed completely within Serbia, and for me to be president in Priština."

“Kosovo is what Serbia can agree to, and not what the U.S. and some other members of the UN declared (it to be). Kosovo can never be taken away from Serbia,” Nikolić underlined.

Asked to comment on two recent incidents when his motorcade was intercepted, the president said that it was "about arrogant (driving)" both times, but that the perpetrator of the first incident, who is employed by the MUP, "should be sanctioned".