A group of war veterans, including generals Rahim Ademi, Nojko Marinovic and Tihomir Blaskic, on Wednesday supported Social Democratic Party candidate Ivo Josipovic in Croatia's January 10 presidential runoff, Josipovic's election team said in a press release.
"We, prominent Homeland War veterans from all over Croatia, don't wantrepresentatives of any association to support on our behalf the presidentialcandidate Milan Bandic, thus attempting to create the impression that allveterans are on their side," said the press release.
Veterans' associations from Zagreb, Zadar and Vukovar recently voiced theirsupport to independent candidate Bandic in the runoff.
Contrary to them, 17 veterans led by Ademi, Marinovic and Blaskic, expressedtheir support for Josipovic.
They said they had fought for a "just and equitable Croatia, a civilisedand cultured European country," that they "want their president to belike that as well", and that they supported Josipovic's request for thepublication of the Veterans Register.
They described remarks that Josipovic had taken part in the writing ofindictments against Croatian generals as lies, saying that "quite thecontrary, he protected Croatian state interests at The Hague (war crimestribunal)".
The 17 veterans said Josipovic was a presidential candidate who had alwaysadvocated a consistent application of the law and the punishment of all crimes,and that they knew he would continue to work in Croatia's state interests asits new president.
