ZAGREB, CROATIA - HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) member, and president of the Croatian parliament Luka Bebic, proved that HDZ members do not necessarily have a different stance to the strongest opposition party, the SDP (Social Democratic Union).

After SDP’s Davorko Vidovic said, defending Ante Ante Kotromanovic’s proposal for new medals for “Heros of the Croatian War of Independence”, that young people in Croatia do not know who Croatia’s heroes are, or enemies, thinking of the Serbs, he was attacked by Niko Rebic. Rebic accused Vidovic of insults, mentioning that it is incorrect that the Serbs attacked Croatia.

“Everything can be heard in parliament, but it is not correct that the Serbs did not attack Croatia. Not only did they attack Croatia, but in the conquest the attack all non-Serbian people. Hearing that the Serbs did not attack us, that insults” said Rebic about Davorko Vidovic’s claims that Croatia was attacked by those who supported the greater Serbia fascist ideology.

Stereotyping a whole people with those that supported a certain ideology, said Vidovic, would not be fair towards those Croatian citizens of Serbian nationality which give contributions to their cities, as well as Croatia.

“Some attacked Croatia, others did not”

The president of the Croatian parliament Luka Bebic agreed with that, saying that Vidovic was right when he says that the Serbian people did not attack Croatia.

“The Serbs did not attack, but those that had greater Serbia ideology. Some attacked Croatia, others did not, we have to make a distinction here” concluded Bebic.

In the discussion on Kotormanovic’s proposal, that lasted for nearly three hours, most parliamentarians were against any new awards, just like that cabinet which gave a negative opinion on the proposal. The most common complaints were about who the awards/medals would be given to, so that IDS (Istrian Democratic Assembly) member Damir Kajin asked if this meant that medals would be given to Mirko Norac and Ante Gotovina.

“I propose that at this moment we do not pull the devil by the tail. Does it mean that medals will be given to Franjo Tudjman, Vladimir Zagorec, Norac, Gotovina or Tomislav Mercep, or they will not?” asked Kajin. Kotromanovic then proposed that medals/recognitions only be given to deceased veterans, whose names are not known to most parliamentarians, but they gave their lives for Croatia.