“We will never lay solid and permanent region relations foundation if we do not clear with what went on and if we do not determine responsibility and guilt”, pointed out President Stjepan Mesic at the opening of today`s conference on Truth about war crimes and conflicts.

At the same time, in front of the Zagreb Sheraton hotel, defenders protested with banners “Vukovar”, “Srebrenica”, “Ovcara”, “Skabrnja”…

Preparation for the future

“Facing the past is a preparation for the future which must be in the sign of European principles and values, such as dialogue, openness, tolerance and reciprocity”, pointed out Vice-Premier Jadranka Kosor. She added that 143 mass tombs were discovered in Croatia, 1,200 individual, 360 children were killed and under the Peace core control 860 people were killed.

Mesic stressed the facts were the truth, adding that those “who protest against The Hague Tribunal protest against determination of truth”.

“There is no price-haggling and relativisation”

“This is what has happened and there is no price-haggling and relativisation about it, nor should there be”, he explained.

Commenting on The Hague and the protest in front of the hotel, he said this Tribunal is helping us to individualise guilt.

“It is helping us to take off the balance of collective guilt which some politicians imposed on us, during a certain period- opponents of region normalisation”, said the President.