Admission Seen Despite Strong ReservationsBy Davor Huic
ZAGREB, April 25 (Reuters) — Croatia's entry to the Council of Europe despite its flawed record on democracy and human rights will strentgthen moderates in the ruling party, diplomats said on Thursday. The assembly of the human rights and democracy watchdog in Strasbourg cleared the way on Wednesday for Croatia to become the 40th member, despite strong reservations over its record on minorities and freedom of the judiciary and press.
"The vote is an expression of a belief that things are going in the right direction, not that everything is perfect," a Western diplomat said. "Croatia must now show itself to be a good member, it has to be more careful not to abuse its status." The Council's rationale was that the admittance would strengthen moderates in President Franjo Tudjman's ruling HDZ party and temper the anti-European tendencies of its hardline nationalist right wing.
"If Croatia had not been admitted, the consequences would have been disastrous, because the anti-European elements in Croatia would have broken loose," said Zarko Puhovski, an independent political commentator. "In the short run the admission ensures that the situation will not worsen, and in the long run — several years perhaps — there will be an improvement." He added: "The good thing is that the issue of human rights has now been internationalized, as Croatia has become committed to the international human rights tribunal and conventions."
'Tudjman and Croatia are two different things'
Tudjman has attracted strong criticism for preventing opposition parties who won local government elections in Zagreb from appointing a mayor.
He forced a HDZ nominee on the city instead. Financial police recently fined an independent daily $2.5 million for tax evasion, arousing suspicions that the government was attempting to bankrupt and close it.
In a controversial interview this week, Tudjman revised down the number of Serbs, Jews and others killed by the Croatian fascists in World War Two, drawing angry reactions from the Croatian Jewish community. The diplomat said that European power brokers found it inappropriate to punish the whole country for the behaviour of its president. "Tudjman and Croatia are two different things," he added.
On top of Croatian cooperation with the U.N. criminal tribunal in The Hague, better protection of minorities and freedom of the press, the international community also has expectations regarding foreign policy. Sticking to the Dayton peace agreement and preserving the shaky Muslim-Croat Bosnian federation are among the things on the list together with an improvement in relations with Croatia's archfoe, Serbia.
The normalization of relations between these two major Balkan powers is seen crucial for the peace and stability in the region. "The major foreign policy objective is the normalization of relations with Serbia," the western diplomat said.
Croatia declared independence from former Yugoslavia in 1991 and later fought a war against its army, dominated by Serbs. The two sides last year agreed that Serb-held eastern Slavonia region would come back under Zagreb peacefully.
Apr 23 · Tudjman Stirs Controversy with WWII Remains
Apr 19 · Silajdzic Attacks Croatia for Meddling in Bosnia
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