HINA, September 17, 2001

CROATIA WILL CONTRIBUTE TO FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan has reiterated his country's willingness to contribute to the fight against terrorism and announced that his cabinet will analyze in detail possible scenarios in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the United States. During a regular news briefing on Monday, PM Racan said the struggle against terrorism as a global threat could not be waged only on the global level. It also implies each country's bids to fight any form of intolerance and violence, Racan explained. Croatia, along with other democratic countries, would like to take part in halting such danger and eliminating its causes, he said. Croatia must give a two-fold contribution: by cooperating with international factors and by fighting intolerance and any kind of violence on the domestic front, he said, adding the government would consider adequate measures at this week's session. Responding to a reporter's comment that Croatia has not yet solved several terrorist acts such as the blowing-up of a monument to anti-fascist fighters at the central Zagreb cemetery, an explosion in the village of Kumrovec where the former Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz Tito was born, the explosion of a car-bomb in Rijeka and the latest incident in Varazdin, where a hand grenade was thrown at a Mormon church, PM Racan admitted there were cases which were still open but added some things were being solved. He announced that information about the perpetrators of some of those attacks would be made public in the coming days. Asked whether he could give more details about the solved cases, Racan only expressed hope for efficacy, but declined to say anything more. The Prime Minister confirmed that some negative consequences of the terrorist attacks in the United States were already palpable on the global and economic level.

My cabinet and ministries are closely analyzing possible repercussions in Croatia and measures to counter them.

Asked about Croatia's position and a buffer zone to be set up against terrorism in Europe, Racan said it was probable and logical that Europe would heighten security and intensify the border regime. It is an important national issue from which side of the buffer zone Croatia would be, he added. Asked about the situation at the Croatian frontier with Bosnia-Herzegovina, which, according to some reporters, is believed to be harbouring some followers of Osama bin Laden, Racan responded that security on the border had been heightened to the maximum. Croatia has intensified dialogue with political forces and institutions of authorities in Bosnia in order to contribute to the strengthening of Bosnia as a democratic and law-based country, he said. He neither confirmed nor denied the possibility that the UN war crimes tribunal would treat some Croat indictees as it treated Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic, whom it released from custody and let stay in Belgrade pending the continuation of the process. There is no reason why the tribunal should not treat some other indictees alike, especially those who have surrendered voluntarily, Racan said, adding that Zagreb could support such moves only through dialogue with the Tribunal, but it could not make any decisions about it.