Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) President Tomislav Karamarko on Friday renounced claims that his party did not wish to abolish the statute of limitations on politically motivated killings, but his party finds an amendment to the constitution, as is being proposed by the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP), to be unnecessary. Instead, the law on judicial cooperation with European Union (EU) members states dubbed Lex Perkovic, should be withdrawn, the opposition leader added.
"That would be absurd for us to oppose the abolishment of the statute of limitations. We are the only party that has raised the question of communist crimes which were committed from 1945 and practically until 1989 - 1990. But this is just an inarticulate way to avoid this", Karamarko told reporters after a meeting of the parliamentary constitution committee which did not come to a final vote on the initiative put forward by the SDP.
He added that Croatia had no reason to enter into a dispute with the EU just to protect the interests of one individual.
"We support the prosecution of communist crimes and politically motivated crimes and naturally we have to agree on how to do this. If there is no other way to do so but to amend the constitution then we have to agree how to define that particular article in the constitution. We are talking about communist crimes", he said.
He thought that it was particularly ironical that the SDP had forwarded the initiative to parliamentary procedure at the end of the Sabor's sitting before summer recess.
"At eight this morning it was announced that the matter was to be discussed by the Committee. They tried to ridicule the Sabor and entire Croatian public and all those who experienced communist torture and crime. This is just the full-stop to their absurd insolence to delude the Croatian public and what is even worse, the entire European Union", said Karamarko.
