by Drago PILSEL
Two presidents agreed that it was necessary to ease the movement of people, goods and ideas in accordance with European standards and that it was necessary to keep working on the obstacles that are blocking the return of refugees and expelled persons.
Especially, they said, it was necessary to work on the return of private property and non-discriminatory approach to the reconstruction of demolished houses, as well as on the solution of the problem of tenancy rights that will not compromise the rights of persons, bearers of tenancy rights until 1991. Besides, they emphasized that the legislation regulating human rights and minority rights need to be harmonized.
But, what sort of attitude comes from the rest of Croatia, apart for Mesic, and can Belgrade really trust Zagreb when at the same time the Prime Minister of Croatia disdainfully dismisses Serbs trying to win points with the extreme right?
Racan, it seems, has no interest in the evidence published in our newspaper, about the synchronization of Croatian (Tudman's) and Milosevic's policy of ethnic cleansing according to which the Croatian government bears responsibility for the drastic reduction of the number of Serbs in Croatia, while Croatian citizens who several times gave legitimacy to such a government by voting for it in free elections bear moral and political responsibility equal to that of Germans who brought Hitler to power and who silently watched the destruction of Jews in WWII.
Milan Djukic's nonsense about the genocidal nature of Croats, in view of Racan's attempt to impose guilt on all Serbs, including those who had absolutely nothing with the outbreak of the war, aggression on our country, Chetnik crimes and ethnic cleansing of Croats from the territory controlled by Serb rebels, can count on certain degree of justification. Racan is actually indirectly advocating ethnically "pure Croatia".
I'll offer several obvious proofs of that. The government decreased its assistance to Bosniaks by 30 percent with respect to the last year and hasn't corrected HDZ's error of ejecting them from the constitution. As Dzevad Joguncic, deputy president of the Bosniak national community of Croatia, says, the government talks about minority rights, including those of Serbs, to the extent it is forced to do so by the international community.
Instead of trying to win points with the extreme right, which is overjoyed with the reduced number of Serbs in Croatia, Racan should be ashamed that Ante Pavelic's vision is being finally accomplished: kill one third of Serbs, expel one third, and assimilate one third. But, how can we expect shame from him when he kneels in front of monuments commemorating Ustashe?
It is not accidental that recently Le Pen stated that he finds much in common with Croatia. Who is Racan's political ally? President Mesic, or the defeated extreme rightist politician from France?
This forgetfulness is probably caused by external factors. Media from abroad, in connection with the Lora case, recall Levar's fate. Milan Levar, outspoken witness of the crimes in Gospic, paid for his readiness to testify with his own life. In Split the defendants are treated as national heroes. Military Policemen who testified about torture in Lora prison first lost their jobs and are constantly exposed to grave threats. Will they, once they show up in the courtroom, also forget their statements given during the investigation, including horrendous details about gauging of eyes and deliberate mutilation of prisoners?
Fertile ground for amnesia is also set by the atmosphere in the Split courtroom, which has been transformed into a combination of a sports arena and a bar room. Unlike Ika Saric, judge from Rijeka, who is conducting the Gospic war crimes trial with respectable seriousness, Slavko Lozina, judge from Split, permits all sorts of outbursts in his courtroom. The audience welcomes and sees off defendants with applause and ovations, the judge expresses understanding for their emotional state, the first witness, Mihael Budimir, one of the commanders in Lora, was permitted behavior more suitable for a low-class pub...
Lozina has been infamous for a while due to his lax interpretation of his office. He is responsible for ignominious delays in the trial of the former commander of the Split special police, who was charged with a cold blooded murder of a young man that took place six years ago. The victim was killed with a bullet fired from close range in the back of his head. Lozina is responsible for the disappearance of the crime weapon, and destruction of parafin gloves, both held in the court safe box. The decision to entrust judge with such reputation with the Lora case clearly indicates what can be expected during the trial.
The Hague War Crimes Tribunal marked the Gospic trial as a test that will demonstrate the readiness of Croatia to prosecute its own war criminals. The Lora case, judging by its start, clearly shows the lack of such readiness. The Hague Tribunal will hand over to Croatian authorities documentation in connection with Lora. But, if the trial continues the way it has started, it is very likely that the Hague Tribunal will decide to take over the case. Judge Lozina is making sure that that happens.
Lozina's permission that a courtroom and an important trial turn into a show should be worrisome for someone. A reaction might be forthcoming if it weren't for the chaos and nightmarish state of the judiciary. Unlike the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, who have announced quick reform of the judiciary (Racan has stated in America that that was his top priority after his return to the country), the president of the Supreme Court Ivica Crnic informed the public that he did not believe that the crisis in the judiciary could quickly be overcome. The working group for the development of the concept of the reform of the judiciary has not held a single meeting so far, parades and various functions have followed the arrival of the new minister. The head of the judiciary now washes his hands of the problem, claiming that he has no right for optimism. Optimism is the prerogative of politicians.