Croatia warns West on war crimes

ZAGREB, Croatia -- - Croatian President Stipe Mesic has warned the West not to be hasty in lifting sanctions against the Yugoslav regime, saying Belgrade should first hand over indicted war criminals to the United Nations tribunal in the Hague.

Following the apparent Yugoslavian opposition victory over President Slobodan Milosevic in Sunday's elections, President Stipe Mesic said: "It (sanctions lifting) should happen when Yugoslavia fulfills what we have fulfilled, that is when they pass a law on cooperation with the Hague tribunal, and when they hand over war criminals to be tried by the tribunal."

"It was precisely the sanctions that made the electorate turn against Milosevic," he added.

The Yugoslav authorities said opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica won Sunday's poll, but with less than the 50 percent needed for outright victory, and ordered a second round of voting.

The opposition insists Kostunica won outright.

Belgrade has so far refused any cooperation with the Hague tribunal, which has indicted President Slobodan Milosevic and others for alleged war crimes carried out by his forces in Kosovo.

"Yugoslavia cannot join Europe while one of the perpetrators of the Ovcara (massacre) teaches at the high military school (in Belgrade). That would not be in line with European standards," Mesic said, in comments broadcast by Croatian state radio.

He was referring to the massacre of more than 200 Croatian patients taken from a hospital in the Croatian town of Vukovar by Serb forces in 1991, while Croatia was fighting for independence from Yugoslavia.

The Hague tribunal charged three Yugoslav army officers for the atrocity, two of whom are reportedly still in active service.

Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan agreed with Mesic that it was too early to start discussing lifting of the sanctions against their eastern neighbor.

"Sometimes, Westerners have illusions that it is possible to change things fast, and that Milosevic would yield power easily," Racan said.

"Everything that happens in Serbia proves that it is not so, that Milosevic will make every effort to resist (the change of power)."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Voters cast verdict on Milosevic
September 24, 2000

Republic of Croatia
Government of the Republic of Croatia
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