Croatian president-elect seeks out-of-court settlement with Serbia

19/01/2010

Good relations with Serbia will be a key policy goal of Croatian President-elect Ivo Josipovic. The new leader promises to work to withdraw genocide charges the two countries have filed against one another.

(Blic, AFP, DPA, Guardian, HINA, B92 - 18/01/10; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - 16/01/10)

"I hope that we will be able to make some progress already at my inauguration on February 18th," Ivo Josipovic said in an interview with the daily Blic. [Getty Images]

Croatia's President-elect Ivo Josipovic said in an interview published on Monday (January 18th) that he will seek an out-of-court settlement with Serbia over the two countries' mutual genocide claims before the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Josipovic added that Serbia would be among the first countries he will visit after taking office next month. He also pledged that Croatia -- expected to join the EU as its 28th member in 2012 -- will help its neighbours enter the bloc.

Speaking to the Belgrade-based daily Blic, Josipovic said he will present a proposal outlining ways to avoid the ICJ case to Serbian President Boris Tadic on the first day of his five-year term. A law professor and composer, Josipovic won the Croatian presidential run-off on January 10th and is due to be sworn in during a ceremony on February 18th.

"I will propose to President Tadic ... to resolve our problems in a way that will make the [genocide] claims unnecessary," Josipovic told Blic. He cited a good relationship with Serbia as a key goal of his administration.

"The claims definitely do not contribute to an improvement of our relations," he said. "That's why it is preferable to resolve the problem without having to resort to a legal procedure."

Croatia submitted an application with the ICJ in July 1999 accusing Serbia of repeated violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention during the 1991-1995 war between the two countries. Nearly 14 months after The Hague-based UN court decided to examine the case, Serbia filed a countersuit claiming that Croatia committed genocide against its ethnic Serb population during the same conflict.

Josipovic said on Monday that he invited Tadic to his inauguration "and would like him to come". Tadic has said he would not attend if Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu is present.

"I understand the problems that Serbia has with Kosovo's declaration of independence, but I do not wish for relations with third countries to define relations between Serbia and Croatia," Josipovic told Blic. "Invitations to the inaugurations have been sent to all the countries we have diplomatic relations with, including Kosovo."

Asked if Croatia will reverse its decision to recognise Kosovo if the ICJ rules that its declaration of independence was in violation of international law, Josipovic replied "Kosovo is a reality."

Blic also asked him if the arrest of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic and wartime Croat Serb political leader Goran Hadzic would be conditions Croatia would raise for dropping its genocide charges against Serbia.

The two fugitives have not been mentioned by name in conditions thus far, Josipovic said. But full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and punishment of war crimes are requirements, he added.

"The same as Croatia is requested to fulfil its obligation towards The Hague tribunal, I do not see why it would be a problem that Serbia fulfils its obligations," Blic quoted him as saying.

Josipovic noted that the withdrawal of the two countries' respective genocide claims would allow Zagreb and Belgrade to address other outstanding issues, such as "missing persons, war crimes trials and the return of cultural treasures".

"I think it's in our common interest -- in Croatia's interest as well -- that all those countries find themselves as soon as possible in the EU," he said in an interview Saturday with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.