Global Policy Forum

Nearly Every Deputy Wanted a Say in the Debate

The Croatian Government has won a confidence vote, called to resolve a crisis following Prime Minister Ivica Racan's decision to extradite two suspected war criminals. After a marathon session lasting more than 15 hours, the government won by a clear margin of 93 votes to 36. Mr Racan needed at least 76 votes from the 151 parliamentary deputies for his government to survive.

The prime minister stressed that, despite widespread opposition in Croatia, he remained firmly committed to cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. "We have to give a chance to the world to respect us, while also fighting for our truth," he said. Many Croats refuse to accept that veterans of Croatia's 1991 war for independence might have committed crimes in dispute that lead to the country's independence from former Yugoslavia.

Isolation and sanctions

Mr Racan told the deputies that a refusal to extradite the suspects would lead to "isolation" for Croatia and international sanctions. "This is not a question of the fate of this government, but of the fate of all citizens of Croatia," Mr Racan said. "We cannot plunge Croatia into the obscurity of the Balkans," he added.

His view was supported by the deputies from the centre-left ruling coalition and regional parties, stressing that Croatia "had no alternative." Nationalists from the late President Franjo Tudjman's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and rightist parties opposed the move.

'Moral conflict'

The decision last weekend to cooperate with the war crimes court sparked the most serious political crisis in Croatia since moderates took over from nationalists 18 months ago. Four ministers from the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), the second biggest in the ruling coalition, resigned citing a "moral conflict" between their party's position and the decision. The two indictments delivered to Croatia by The Hague Tribunal remain sealed, but government sources said they stem from Croatia's 1993 and 1995 offensives to regain lands seized by the Serbs in 1991. Hundreds of Serbs were killed during and after the operations.

One of the suspects, General Rahim Ademi, agreed to surrender voluntarily and is to fly to The Hague next week. An arrest warrant was issued on Friday against the other suspect, widely believed to be retired General Ante Gotovina. Mr Gotovina said earlier that he is unwilling to face the court. His whereabouts remain unknown, and some of his fellow fighters have vowed to protect him against being arrested for subsequent extradition.