The chairman of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, Hannes Swoboda, has said that the acquittal of two Croatian generals on war crimes charges and the conviction of former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on corruption charges are important events for Croatia because they confirm that the country fought a war of defence in the past and is now ready to crack down on crime.
The decision by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague to clear Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac of war crimes charges put an end to discussions on the nature of the 1991-1995 war in Croatia. It showed, first of all, that Croatia fought a war of defence, so reactions in the country to the announcement of the acquittal were understandable, Swoboda said in an interview with the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz published on Monday.
Commenting on a trial court's guilty verdict against Sanader, Swoboda said that this sent out a strong message to all Balkan countries that there should be a readiness to bring to justice members of the political elite as well.
"This is a sign that Croatia, which joins the European Union next year, has continued to deal seriously with those who were corrupt and who worked against the law even though they held the highest positions in the country," he concluded.
