Croatian Govt. in crisis over war crimes arrests

ZAGREB, JULY 9. Croatia's reformist Government was plunged into a crisis over a decision to arrest and hand over Croatians wanted by the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.

``The Government has collapsed!'' blared the headline on the front page of leading daily Jutarnji yesterday list, underlining the gravity of the crisis reformists faced 18 months after dethroning nationalists in elections.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Ivica Racan's coalition cabinet voted after a dramatic emergency meeting on Saturday night to arrest and hand over suspects named in two sealed indictments to the Dutch-based tribunal.

The four Ministers including the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Goran Granic, from his key ally, the Social Liberal Party (HSLS), resigned over the decision. Mr. Racan said he would ask Parliament for a confidence vote ''very soon''.

The parliamentary vote cannot be held before July 15, but the ruling coalition is likely to survive it. The more serious risk was a possible coalition split or social unrest as a result of any arrests. The political turmoil mirrored events in neighbouring Yugoslavia last month when the federal coalition collapsed over the decision of the senior partner to hand over the former Yugoslav President, Mr. Slobodan Milosevic, to The Hague Tribunal.

At stake in Croatia would be political and economic reforms that have dramatically improved the country's international standing after a decade of authoritarian rightist rule. Financial cutbacks under the reforms have been unpopular.

The HSLS leader, Mr. Drazen Budisa, told journalists the indictments contained ''unacceptable qualifications, including genocide and ethnic cleansing''.

Mr. Budisa said he had not seen the indictments but had seen written objections by Mr. Racan sent to the tribunal's chief prosecutor, Ms. Carla Del Ponte. Ms. Del Ponte rejected the objections on Friday and told Mr. Racan she demanded swift arrests.

- Reuters

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Section  : International
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