Croatia in war crimes crisis

U.N. prosecutor Del Ponte insisted Croatia implement the arrest warrants

ZAGREB, Croatia -- Croatia has been plunged into a political crisis following a cabinet decision to allow the handover of citizens wanted for war crimes.

Four ministers in the 23-member cabinet offered their resignations in protest after the decision was announced by Prime Minister Ivica Racan.

Racan said rejecting requests by the U.N. war crimes tribunal to extradite Croatian citizens "would return us into the abyss of the troubled Balkans, from which even Serbia" is escaping.

He promised to ask parliament to give his government a vote of confidence "as soon as possible." It was unclear whether he could gather enough support there to maintain his administration.

The four ministers who said they would resign are Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic, Defence Minister Jozo Rados, Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic and Science and Technology Minister Hrvoje Kraljevic.

PROFILE Ivica Racan

The prime minister would have to accept the resignations to make them formal.

Racan said he would ask the parliament for a confidence vote next week, putting his old reformist coalition to its most serious test during its 18 months in power.

"If we don't get confidence, the government will step down," he said.

The ruling alliance has a commanding majority in parliament. But if the Social Liberal deputies join the opposition in voting against the cabinet, the vote might swing towards that of no-confidence, making early elections almost certain.

U.N. chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte visited Croatia on Friday to insist on the handover of two indicted war crime suspects to the U.N. tribunal.

The government had to decide whether to hand over the suspects -- angering many nationalists -- or refuse and risk the possibility of international isolation.

Racan said the cabinet voted with only one vote against to forward two sealed indictments -- served by the tribunal almost a month ago -- to the justice ministry.

The indictments are the first against Croatian officials. While the suspects' names have not been made public, it is widely believed they relate to two generals who took part in the 1991-95 war against Serb rebels opposing Croatia's independence.

The justice minister has to sign the arrest warrants and the handover, in line with a constitutional clause on cooperation which the nationalist government of the late President Franjo Tudjman enacted in 1996.

Del Ponte, during a visit to Zagreb on Friday, rejected Racan's written objections to the indictments and told Zagreb bluntly to "implement the arrest warrants."

The government's popular ratings have been eroded by painful reforms and cuts in public sector employment and wages.

On top of the troublesome confidence vote, Racan also faces likely mass protests from war veterans and right wingers, who have already publicly opposed handover of indictees.

He said: "I am afraid of unrest. Every normal person should be, now that the tourist season has started, but I hope it will not come to that, I hope people will realise the constitutional clause has to be respected."

Racan stressed there was no real alternative to cooperation, especially after the landmark transfer to The Hague of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic by the Serbian government last week.

"Another solution would be to reject the indictments which would mean... plunging Croatia back to the volatile Balkans, which everyone is trying to leave, including Serbia."

"That would mean a conflict with the world, with Europe, isolation and quick return to the positions which we successfully left behind in the past two years," Racan said.