Minister Picula received the representatives of the National Association of Antifascist Prisoners from...

On 7 May 2003, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Tonino Picula, received the representatives of the National Association of Antifascist Prisoners from the Italian Camp on the Island of Molat, the Association of Insular Council, the Council of the Local Committee of Savar, and the Association of Victims of WWII during the 1941-1945 occupation by Italy and Germany.

They spoke with Minister Picula about the possibility of compensation for the prisoners from the Italian camps, which in their opinion was not included in the payment effected by the Italian Government to the former Yugoslavia as the full and final compensation based on the 1947 Peace Agreement between the Federal Popular Republic of Yugoslavia and Italy, and subsequent agreements.

Considering the fact that the associations, having contacted the Italian Government in 1994, received a reply stating that the issue of compensation had been regulated by the treaties signed, their representatives inquired whether the issue of compensation for the camp prisoners could, on the basis of reciprocity, be included in the agenda of the Joint Croatian-Italian Commission set up to establish the possibility for the inclusion of Italian citizens in the process of denationalisation in the Republic of Croatia, or whether this issue could be raised with the Italian Government in some other way. The representatives of the associations also informed Minister Picula that they were considering the possibility or raising this issue before the European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg.

Minister Picula said that the Croatian and Italian Governments respected the principles of international treaties and that in this respect the issue of compensation for the camp prisoners could not be included in the agenda of the Joint Croatian-Italian Commission. With all due respect to the tragedy of the Croatian camp prisoners, and their families, in political, financial and moral terms, Minister Picula expressed his regret that such initiatives had not been launched in the former Yugoslavia which had concluded a number of agreements with Italy to close the issues arising from WWII and the post-war period.

Although Croatia's legislation provides for the possibility to obtain compensation for war victims, this is not satisfactory to the camp prisoners, hence the representatives of the associations informed the Minister about the initiative to launch the proceedings for the passage of a law on war victims, like their counterparts did in Slovenia, pursuant to which the victims would be additionally compensated.

The representatives of the associations also confirmed that they would attempt to win the support of Italian antifascist associations to exert pressure on the Italian Government to possibly establish, like Germany, foundations or similar organisations to channel compensation to the prisoners of the concentration camps during the Italian occupation in WWII.

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