The vice-president of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and chairman of the party's group in the national parliament, Andrija Hebrang, said on Thursday that his conscience dictated him to write in the book of condolence for the deceased general Djuro Brodarac that his death had shown that Croatia was going in a wrong direction, adding that he did not expect to suffer any political consequences for what he wrote.
When asked by reporters in the Parliament building to comment on the statement by HDZ vice-president Vladimir Seks that his assessment was untrue and politically damaging to the party and that the HDZ would discuss its consequences, Hebrang said that it was Seks's opinion, stressing that he wrote what his conscience dictated.
"My intention was to draw attention to the fact that the ratio of criminal charges for war crimes was 10 to 1 'in favour of' Croatian soldiers, although the number of crimes committed by Serbian aggressors was much higher," Hebrang said and added: "Eight thousand civilians were killed in the Homeland War in Croatia, and no one has been brought to justice for the gravest of war crimes against our hospitals that were shelled and totally destroyed, such as those in Vukovar, Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci, Pakrac and Gospic."
"No charges have been brought against those who committed the gravest of war crimes in Vukovar and I think someone had to warn about it. That's a wrong direction," Hebrang said.
When asked who was to blame for that, Hebrang said it was the state institutions that should do their job and that "neither the government nor the HDZ should interfere in it."
"My statement doesn't apply either to the government or to the HDZ, because in a country ruled by law neither the ruling party nor the government should interfere in the work of state institutions," he added.
When asked why Seks then concluded that his statement was politically damaging to the HDZ, Hebrang said that Seks was entitled to his own opinion.
"A book of condolence is a way of reaction. In the Banovina region, over 500 Croats were killed, two-thirds of Croats were forced from their homes during the war, the aggressors committed grave crimes. If it had not been for Djuro Brodarac, Banovina and Sisak would have fallen and the aggressor would have advanced just south of Zagreb. That's why I acknowledged my debt to him, sincerely and truthfully," Hebrang said.
The Sisak-Moslavina County branch of the HDZ held a special ceremony on Thursday to commemorate the passing of Djuro Brodarac.
