Man Hunt of Croatian War Hero

[Ivo Skoric]

So, the fate of the entire region is in the hands of one man. What a 
burden.

Carla Del Ponte is probably right about him shuttling between Croatia 
and Hercegovina. That's pretty easy to do unchecked.

And Racan is probably not lying when he says that he doesn't know 
where Gotovina is, because he probably instructed Croatian spooks not 
to tell him anything.

But Europe will never let Gotovina walk. I am not sure if they care 
so much about Operation Storm, but let's face it: Gotovina came to 
Croatia with criminal record and Interpol warrant for his civilian 
crimes in France. They won't let him get away, regardless of his 
renegade hero status in Croatia.

The quicker everybody comprehends that, the better for the small and 
weak.

ivo

On 7 Oct 2003 at 2:49, Josip Remenar wrote:


It looks we are entering physiological war from all available sides 
to
nail general Gotovina. Who is playing who? And who is fooling who? -
Josip

      Del Ponte seeks Croatian suspect


            Gotovina: Accused of the murder and disappearance of
            hundreds of Serbs 
      Chief UN war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte has urged a key
      Croatian war crimes suspect to surrender. Mr Gotovina is the
      Hague tribunal's third most wanted man, accused of atrocities
      during the 1991-95 war. 

      Ms del Ponte said he was damaging his country by hiding. 

      Croatia's chances of joining the European Union could depend on
      its willingness to hunt for Mr Gotovina and hand him over. 

            If the accused Gotovina is really close to his nation, to
            his country, to Croatia, he would voluntarily surrender 

            Carla del Ponte  
      Some EU member states say they will support Zagreb's 
application
      only when it is deemed to have fully co-operated with the
      tribunal. 


      Prosecutors' report 

      After meeting Ms Del Ponte, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said
      Croatia would not hesitate to surrender the suspect if he could
      be found. 

      Ms Del Ponte says he is shuttling between Croatia and ethnic
      Croat areas of Bosnia. 



            Del Ponte will present her report to the UN in a few days 

      "If the accused Gotovina is really close to his nation, to his
      country, to Croatia, he would voluntarily surrender," she said. 


      The BBC's Matthew Price says the issue is fuelling political
      tension in the country. 

      The government knows Mr Gotovina's arrest would be deeply
      unpopular with many Croats, who regard him as a hero. 

      Mr Gotovina is alleged to have arranged the killing of at least
      150 Serb civilians and the expulsion of 150,000 others 
following
      a government operation in 1995 to recapture territory held by
      rebels. 

      The chief prosecutor is due to submit a report on the former
      Yugoslavia to the UN Security Council in a few days. 

      The EU has said it will attach great significance to the 
report.
      

      Croatian precedent 

      Croatia applied for membership of the union in February and
      hoping to join in 2007. 

      The United Kingdom and the Netherlands have already said they
      will not ratify the first stage of the process until Mr 
Gotovina
      is handed over. 

      Our correspondent says other Balkan countries are watching the
      developments carefully. 

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3166498.stm 

      It is generally felt that, if Croatia can complete the lengthy
      process of joining the EU, this will help other former Yugoslav
      countries in similar bids. 

      Conversely, if Croatia fails, countries such as Serbia and
      Montenegro and Bosnia-Hercegovina stand no chance. 

      Josip Remenar - SutrA magazine - New York




Ivo Skoric
1773 Lexington Ave
New York NY 10029
212.369.9197
ivo at balkansnet.org
http://balkansnet.org