Ivica Kostovic – Croatia, the War, and the Future

Left: Domagoj Ivan Milosevic, Gen Sec. HDZ
Right: Tomislav Karamarko, President HDZ
Photo: Marko Prpic/Pixsell

What gigantic three days of last week in the political life of Croatia.
In the wake of the Commission for conflicts of interests decision that conflict of interest applied to him in the case of INA/MOL and his wife’s business dealings, the leader of the majority party in government, Croatian Democratic Union/HDZ Tomislav Karamarko on Wednesday 15 June resigned as First Deputy Prime Minister; but not without emphasising that HDZ, as relatively major seat holder in parliament, was not giving up its fight to form a new government within the 30 days defined by law after a fall of government and that new elections were the very last option HDZ would look to. Indeed, HDZ has been giving confident reassurances that it has decided upon its candidate for the new Prime Minister (current finance minister Zdravko Maric) and that it will in the ensuing legally defined period of 30 days from the fall of current government succeed in achieving 76-seat majority in the parliament.

Tihomir Oreskovic,
fallen Prime Minister of Croatia
Photo: Marko Lukunic/Pixsell

The current coalition government fell on Thursday 16 June after only five months in the throne as the Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic lost a confidence vote in the parliament.

Then in a move that evoked sizeable anger and resentment towards her seeming disrespect of rules and bias, president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic wasted no time in hogging the public microphone on Friday 17 June, saying that “nobody I spoke with has (during the consultations she had held with members of parliament since the day before) convinced me they enjoy the needed support of 76 or more representatives to achieve the status of Prime Minister.”

“I can confirm that a majority has expressed the opinion about the need for early elections,” she continued, adding that it was impossible to shorten the period of 30 days guaranteed by the Constitution and appealed to the president of the parliament Zeljko Reiner to bring the matter of dissolution of the parliament to its agenda as soon as possible! Reportedly most representatives she spoke to expressed the opinion that new elections should be held in early September, however, as per previous practice, one would expect that she would hold more than just one consultation within this important realm that gives her the responsibility to ensure Croatia has a government in place.

This is what’s on Croatia’s political plate at this moment:

• parliamentary relative majority party HDZ seeks to utilise its constitutional right of 30 days to form a new coalition government rather than go to snap elections;
• the country’s president appeals for the parliament to table the decision on its own dissolution prior to the expiry of those 30 days in order to make way for snap elections;
• HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko has announced his appeal against the conflict of interest findings to the Administrative tribunal.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
President of Croatia
Photo: Marko Prpic/Pixsell

As one might expect, this president’s move is fanning ongoing speculations and political postulations as to whether and why in fact the parliament should be dissolved on the day when 30 days expire (15 July 2016). The president’s move appears to be feeding a good deal of members of parliament to keep driving loud opinions that HDZ should bow out of its right to 30 days to form a new government and simply join the rest in speeding up the dissolution. This, of course, is causing a good deal of distressing confusion in public as well as to a politically staged diversion from HDZ’s inherent rights to try and quell ruffled-up spirits and save the government without the need for new elections. The political platform is rife with a push for snap elections, which also reveals many a new political ambition for all-important thrones including the one of the Prime Minister. Even Zagreb’s mayor Milan Bandic, who has till “yesterday” supported Karamarko, has reveled his newfound (?) ambition to put forth his name as candidate for Prime Minister at snap elections, for which he is suddenly raising his other hand. Bandic comments on his stand with the worn-down cliché “…there’s no love (meaning lasting devotion) in politics.” (HRT TV news 18 June 2016)

As to the findings of conflict of interest against Tomislav Karamarko, leader of HDZ, these do not seem to have shaken HDZ’s resolve to keep him at the party’s helm for the time being, except with a number of members including Tomislav Tolusic, regional development and EU funds minister, and a political cadaver Vladimir Seks, who I think should have retired from HDZ a long, long time ago. A prominent founding HDZ member and former minister of science and technology dr Ivica Kostovic said for HRT TV news Saturday 18 June that his “experience since he had entered into the government was that he met perhaps 1% of people who were not in a conflict of interest”. (HRT TV news 18 June 2016)

Zeljko Reiner
President of Croatian Parliament
In response to president’s statement
Says that HDZ may succeed
in forming new government
and that new elections may not be needed

Indeed, being in conflict of interest seems to have been a dark legacy left from public office administration of former Yugoslavia. That, of course, does not excuse any continuance of operating with conflict of interest – it simply highlights the need to deal with it properly as cases arise and that seems to have been the spirit of Dr Kostovic’s comment.

Karamarko has wowed that he will take the Commission’s decision to the Administrative tribunal, as he believes he was not in conflict of interest as found by it. It would seem that the Commission had weighed against Karamarko a reported detail that he did not declare his wife’s business dealings with the Hungarian MOL at a reported government meeting, from which there are apparently no detailed minutes, when matter of arbitration regarding INA/MOL issue (i.e. taking back Croatian ownership prevalence in the company of national importance – INA) was discussed. But, reportedly he also did not participate in any decision-making at the said meeting, either. The latter then would raise some alarms regarding the credibility of the Commission’s decision itself. The Commission, as evidencing conflict of interest, reportedly also took into account Karamarko’s personal Facebook status, which said that he was personally committed to Croatia pulling out of arbitration with MOL!

Karamarko commented that his personal opinions are well known to the public but that he has never imposed them upon third persons. “I have never had a single meeting on the Government premises with the arbitration on the agenda … It’s possible that I have had meetings outside the Government with Josip Petrovic (MOL’s consultant) but INA and MOL have never been the topic of those meetings.”

Dalija Oreskovic
Photo: Dalibor Urukalovic/Pixsell

The Commission’s head, Dalija Oreskovic, commented that “Karamarko cannot separate his private opinions from himself as a public figure and that, in that sense, he fell into conflict of interest.” She added “he used his political influence in connection to his opinion about arbitration, so that the potential or possible conflict of interest in these personal opinions and public intercessions point to the finding that the official found himself in a situation where conflict of interest was realised…”

In defending himself against the motion of no confidence last Wednesday, Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic told the parliament that the real reason for his ouster was that he started resolving the dispute between INA and MOL, adding that someone was not pleased with it (evidently alluding to Karamarko). It will be interesting to see what the Administrative tribunal will decide regarding private vs public lives (opinions) of a public official. At this stage HDZ wants to reshuffle the government with a new prime minister (Zdravko Maric), with Karamarko remaining as the party leader and digging its heels in at this may work, but it also may not. Next week or so will show whether the worn-down cliché “there’s no love in politics” is actually a double-edged sword that can either damage or benefit HDZ’s efforts to survive in parliament without snap elections. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)

New lies about Tudjman announce new aggression against Croatia

dr Franjo Tudjman addresses the United Nations General Assembly 22 May 1992

By Dr. Slobodan Lang – 14 December 2012
(Translated by Ina Vukic)

On the 2nd of June of this year I went to Medjugorje and kneeled beside the visionary Mirjana, as she was receiving a message from Our Lady. I prayed for the freedom of Generals Gotovina and Markac. On the Day of Assumption of Virgin Mary, together with Mario Filipi, the war veterans and the young (led by Filip Kustro and Matea Kemenji), we crossed 25 kilometers to Aljmas. From day to day, during the past month, we prayed for the freedom of the Generals across Croatia. And it happened. It does not matter how much the lawyers and the Judges, how much the prayers and the truth contributed to this freedom. The indictment against Croatia, against defenders, against the politics of independence and against President Tudjman was rejected.

Only in Serbia and among some Serbs in Croatia was the astonishment greater than among Croatians across the world and Croatians in Croatia.

Despite everything, the reaction in Serbia came as a surprise. The reaction in Serbia was based on some incomprehensible expectation that the world considers the Serbs to be better than any other Balkan nationality. That the aggression, the occupation, the intent to change sovereign borders, ethnic persecutions and genocide over the Albanians, the Bosniacs and the Croatians are forgotten, and that the only victims of that time were the Serbs from Croatia, who were incited into rebellion by their leaders into chasing Croatians from their homes, into attack against Bihac, the danger of another genocide and finally into taking the very Serbs out of Croatia, leaving and abandoning some 10,000 of their own elderly, whom we saved in the Action «Let’s Save Life».

With the politics of their own leadership, the Serbian people (according to God equal to all other people) have in the past been led into crime and today, into the nonexistent world of North Korea and other totalitarian states of time past. It’s for the benefit of the Serbian people that they realise the truth and to join the other nations of the world as equals. This goes for some Serb leaders in Croatia, as well. They could begin by recanting the three undemocratic, automatic representatives in the Parliament which they gained through the corruption on Ivo Sanader. The rest of the Serbs could begin by publicly rejecting the lies about hundreds of thousands of victims in Jasenovac, because of which thousands of true victims could not be stated for decades, Yad Vashem deceived and Bogdan Bogdanovic (author of the Jasenovac statue) gifted to me his drawing upon which he wrote «Doctor, forgive me».

Authorities were caught by surprise. They did not expect freedom for the Generals, and I do not know whether they wanted it. All Croatian politics since year 2000 were led to hand the Generals over, neglect of their families and unwilling legal defence. They expected convictions against the Generals, against Operation Storm, against President Tudjman, against the whole of Croatian defence …

In Croatia, people were immesurably joyous and organised celebrations, bestowing upon the Generals certificates of honorary citizens, held Masses and celebrated in any which way they could.

After the Generals were freed and criminal enterprise rejected by the world court, the first one who managed to find his way out was President Josipovic – he invited all the Croatian Generals to his office. The former President attacked the current President for receiving the Generals who had defended and liberated Croatia from Serb aggression (whose president was this), who prevented genocide over other people and who were pronounced innocent by the international court. He also attacked the church and the faithful for praying for the truth and justice. He attacked the prayer.

Zoran Pusic, from the quasi civil, quasi organisation for human rights, in the Spring of this year, after the ICTY Trial Chamber’s judgment, assessed «disappointment of Croatian public with the severe punishment imposed upon the Generals was due to the fact that the media had spread false hopes that the Generals could get a mild sentence.» Just before the final judgment he stated that there was no doubt that a criminal enterprise existed. After the final judgment (the acquittal of the Generals) he remains quiet and does not show himself in public. He still hasn’t tendered his resignation from the position he has held for more than twenty years, President of the Civic Committee for Human Rights and there has been no other member who has ever spoken for that organisation, perhaps Pusic is its only member and is in conflict of family interests. Sister and brother, rule and accuse.

….

Confusion regarding the Hague judgment lasted only a few days. Initially there were attempts to push the opinion that the judgment meant that now is the time to pursue Croatian crimes. That appeared pale and inadequately convincing. Reactions from Serbia, Pupovac (Milorad) and Mesic (Stjepan) crossed the borders of good taste. «Human Rights» organisations went silent – except Helsinky committee from Belgrade whose president Sonja Biserko calmly repeated that Serbia must accept what it had done.

Already, after a few days, they recognise that further aggression against Croatia requires internal division among Croatian people, the Catholic church, the war veterans and President Tudjman. Always and again – a new attack against President Franjo Tudjman.

Currently there’s one of the dirtiest scenarios ever being carried out.

Tudjman’s guilt is being transferred from acquitted guilt for “Operation Storm” crimes against Serbs and liberation of Croatia in 1995, to guilt for a bad Croatian defence in 1991 and the then torture of Vukovar commander Mile Dedakovic – Hawk.

In order to show Dedakovic’s current health state the Croatian television broadcasts ethically impermissible images of the patient and abuses human suffering, for which they accuse President Tudjman through usage of 20 years old film footage. Guided by NKVD (Peoples’ Commissariat for Internal Affairs) oder No. 00447 from 1937 Tudjman is instantly proclaimed guilty for Dedakovic’s current illness and suffering.

According to this Mile Dedakovic’s current health state cannot be blamed on the current President Ivo Josipovic, who is also the commander of the army, who does not follow up on the health of war veterans or their commanders or on the minister for war veterans Fred Matic, whose job in the government is to do that or on the minister for health Rajko Ostojic, who announced the politics of health nor can the doctors who should care for Dedakovic’s health be blamed …

In their public presentations the official media don’t call upon Josip Manolic, don’t state the members of the committee that produced the report, don’t state the names of those who tortured Dedakovic, don’t state the names of the doctors who treated him then, and don’t state the names of those who care for his health today and who are the only ones qualified to assess Dedakovic’s medical status now, before and for the future.

The goal of this shameful media action is not at all to help Mile Dedakovic-Hawk nor to help any other Croatian war veteran. The goal is to once again attack with lies and blacken President Franjo Tudjman in front of Croatian war veterans and the nation.

More than 20 years ago I contacted Dedakovic in Vinkovci, beginning of October 1991, and then in Zagreb.

As an adviser, on 28th February 1996, I sent the following to President Franjo Tudjman: “Dear President, I maintain constant contact with Mile Dedakovic – Hawk, trying to relieve the wounds as much as possible. I believe that in the coming period it would be useful for him to assist with the return to Vukovar. He has expressed that he wants to meet with you and I believe that such a meeting would solve all the differences. I await your decision.”

After that, today’s Academic, Ivica Kostovic, met with Dedakovic and he can inform about everything that was agreed upon.

Finally, and for all who wish to accept, I’ll conclude with my own life’s disposition which I have gained through numerous mistakes, painful experiences, learning, dangers and time spent within the Croatian nation.

I had worked together with President Franjo Tudjman for six years during the years of defending and creating Croatia. I have been alone with him, on travels with him, corresponded with him, at meetings with him, at assemblies, in his company … 1000 times. I got to know him well and I know President Franjo Tudjman as a man. Every man has his weaknesses and makes mistakes, so too Tudjman, everyone and I. Nevertheless, I emphasise that in public life I have never met a man who has more successfully connected the good and the vitality than President Franjo Tudjman. I am convinced that without him we would not have succeeded in creating or defending Croatia.

The crimes of Jasenovac, Bleiburg, the judgment against Aloysius Stepinac, the crimes of Goli Otok, the crimes after the Croatian Spring, the aggression against Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina … are always followed by the aggression of media lies, concealment, partial and twisted truth.

Vukovarans, veterans of the 204th, Branko Borkovic Hawk, detainees of Serb concentration camps, Danijel Rehak – do you accuse Franjo Tudjman?

All of you who think that the Croatian future must be based on faith in God, love for one’s own family and nation, with the respect of all people and good neighbourly relations with all countries – consider!

Consider the truth, consider your attitudes and have the strength to defend and represent them.
If you won’t defend Tudjman. Who will?
If you won’t defend the Generals, who will?
If you won’t defend Croatia, who will?
If you won’t defend anybody, who will defend you?
If you won’t believe in Christ, how will you believe in yourself.

Dr Slobodan Lang Photo: Pixsell

About dr. Slobodan Lang. Born to Jewish family 8 October 1945 in Zagreb, Croatia. Physician, author, writer, politician and former personal adviser to the first Croatian President dr. Franjo Tudjman. His paternal grandfather Ignjat was the president of the Jewish community in Vinkovci (Croatia) and his grandmother Terezija was a housewife. In 1941 Catholic priest Hijacint Bošković, distinguished Dubrovnik and Croatian Dominican, was engaged in an extraordinary attempt to rescue the Langs from Nazi persecution. Bošković traveled from Dubrovnik to Vinkovci with a special permit that allowed him to relocate the Langs to Dubrovnik. Langs grandfather refused to leave, saying that he “was the president of Jews in peace and he will stay one in the war”. Both of his grandparents were killed in the concentration camp during the Holocaust. He graduated at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine and is a specialist in social medicine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slobodan_Lang)