Brussels, 06/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU has called on Croatia to exercise caution regarding a bill declaring null and void proceedings initiated by Serbian justice against Croatian nationals suspected of war crimes, committed in Croatia between 1991 and 1995. The spokesman for Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle, Peter Stano, said caution and careful consideration were essential in the adoption of a law in such a sensitive area. He asserted it was important not to jeopardise regional cooperation especially in the prosecution of war crimes. They want Croatia to continue its constructive dialogue for working together on war crimes dossiers.
The bill, adopted by the government, is currently under parliament scrutiny. Without bringing Zagreb's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia into question, the text points out that only Croatian justice is competent to cover the case of its nationals suspected of war crimes committed on Croatian territory. (CG/transl.jl)