Minister Pusić: As of today, initiative for BiH a European initiative

(Hina) - Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić, who attended a gathering of the European Union members' foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, informed her colleagues in the EU of the developments since the provisional release of war crimes indictee Vojislav Šešelj

(Hina) - Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić, who attended a gathering of the European Union members' foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, informed her colleagues in the EU of the developments since the provisional release of war crimes indictee Vojislav Šešelj, who held a rally upon his return from The Hague to Belgrade.

Last week, Šešelj, charged with serious war crimes by the UN tribunal in The Hague, was provisionally released on humanitarian reasons due to his deteriorating health. This Serb Radical Party leader keeps using hate speech in his public statements.

Pusić said that Croatia would insist on having the European Union institutions giving its position on the matter.

The decision of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to temporarily release Šešelj, whom Croatian President Ivo Josipović described as "a warmonger", despite Šešelj’s refusal to accept the terms and conditions for his release prompted Josipović to send a letter to ICTY president Theodor Meron.

Šešelj’s activities, after he was flown back to Serbia last week, may attract his followers and "can seriously undermine peace and stability in southeastern Europe," Josipović said.

Josipović also sent a letter to the Croatian members of the European Parliament calling on them to request a debate in the European Parliament on the political stability in southeastern Europe following the latest developments, in the context of the war conflict in Ukraine and clashes in Syria.

The Croatian president said that together with the country's Prime Minister Zoran Milanović and Foreign Minister Pusić, he would notify European Union institutions on the need to avert a recurrence of threats to the stability of that part of Europe.

In response to reporters’ questions in Brussels today, Pusić said that Croatia would not impose any additional requirements to Serbia on its journey towards the EU.

"Serbia will not be given any additional conditions, those will be only conditions and criteria which Croatia fulfilled on its path (towards the EU membership)," Pusić said in response to reporters' questions whether Croatian insists on war crimes trials to be conducted in Serbia before it may be allowed to join the EU.

Pusić explained that trials of those responsible for war crimes in the area of former Yugoslavia were seen as evidence whether the rule of law and judiciary of an aspiring candidate was functioning.

The EU foreign ministers also discussed the British-German initiative on the new approach for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has stemmed from an initiative launched by Croatia. “As of today, it is no longer a Croatian or British-German initiative, but a European one,” Pusić said, adding that it did not mean that criteria would be lowered, but that steps that had to be taken would be rearranged, first towards candidate status and then towards membership. The new government is expected to sign a written pledge that it will conduct EU-oriented reforms.  This written pledge could be in the form of a government programme that would be approved by the parliament as well. 

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