Croatia rebukes Serbia over Mladic honors at UN
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic criticized Serbia at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday over official honors given to the late convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic, saying the move undermined justice and reconciliation in the region.
Speaking during the 81st UN General Debate in New York, Plenkovic said the honors accorded to Mladic in Serbia were an affront to his victims and to the judgments of international courts.
He said genuine reconciliation in Europe requires states to confront wartime crimes, respect victims and reject the institutional glorification of those responsible for atrocities.
Plenkovic said Serbian state participation in events honoring Mladic was incompatible with the values of the European Union, which Serbia seeks to join.
Croatia recalls Mladic's wartime record
Plenkovic said Mladic's crimes culminated in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide but began earlier with attacks on Croatian cities, killings of civilians and the destruction of cultural and industrial infrastructure.
Mladic, who was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 2017, received a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 conflict. He died in custody in The Hague in August this year.
Plenkovic calls for civilian protection in Gaza
Turning to the Middle East, Plenkovic said the international community must apply consistent legal standards to protect civilians and ensure unhindered humanitarian access in Gaza.
He reaffirmed Croatia's support for a negotiated two-state solution, under which Israelis and Palestinians would live in peace and security.
Source:AA
