The U.S. State Department spokesperson Philip Cowley said that the U.S. welcomed President Ivo Josipovic's statement yesterday (Wed) in Sarajevo in which he apologized for Croatia's role in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s.Cowley said that it reinforces the efforts to bring the stability to the region. "We think this is a vitally important…in terms of easing tensions, reconciling the various communities, and most importantly, creating an atmosphere where reform can occur."Foreign media has judged Josipovic's statement as a positive development. Reuters wrote that this is one of the last in a series of steps that Croatian and Serbian reformist leaders have been taking in order to "to heal the wounds of the 1990s which still mar the countries' relations." Last month the Serbian Parliament condemned the massacre in Srebrenica in which 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks were killed by Serbs, although it refrained from using the word "genocide" and issuing a direct apology.Josipovic did receive some criticism from Croatian political leaders. Andrija Hebrang, the vice-president of Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) - the party whose founder, Franjo Tudjman, was president of Croatia during the war – said that with his statement Josipovic added Croatia "to the list of world aggressors.""Croatia did not divide Bosnia and Herzegovina. It had to enter Bosnia's territory in order to defend its own."He added that the one who apologizes in the name of a state and its people should first discuss his positions with the nation.Josipovic visited Ahmici village today (Thu), the site of a massacre of more than hundred Bosniak civilians committed by the Croatian military. He also went to Krizancevo village where an Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina killed Croat soldiers and civilians during the war.
Source: Croatian Times Online News
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