The United States Ambassador to Croatia, James B. Foley, said in Zagreb on Tuesday he could understand the reaction of the Croatian people to the Hague war crimes tribunal's verdict against Croatian generals, but stressed that the Croats should look to the future.
I fully understand the deep emotional reaction and I strongly hope that the Croatian people will now concentrate on the future, Foley told reporters on the margins of a conference entitled "Competition policy in the European Union - The impact on the Croatian economy" which was taking place in Zagreb.
The US ambassador said that the verdict against generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac was not a verdict against Croatia, and added that joining the European Union was very important for Croatia.
Last Friday, the ICTY tribunal sentenced Gotovina to 24 years and Markac to 18 years in prison for their roles in a joint criminal enterprise the aim of which was to drive the Serb population out of occupied areas of Croatia during Operation Storm in the summer of 1995. A third general, Ivan Cermak, was acquitted.
