Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic said on Tuesday the referendum on Croatia's European Union accession should not be the subject of election campaigns, given that a consensus on important issues, including EU accession, was reached in parliament and among Croatian politics long ago.
Those are not subjects which Croatian political parties would fight about, so there is no reason to leave that issue for election campaigns, Bebic said, recalling that political parties were agreed that Croatia should join the EU.
Bebic said election campaigns should focus on economic development and employment.
He disagreed with criticisms that the government was concerned about the EU more than about the economy, saying it was natural that after long negotiations, which were now nearing completion, the focus of the public, the government and the media should be on that.
Bebic would not comment on the decision of the Hague war tribunal's Office of the Prosecutor not to appeal a ruling against two Croatian generals, Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, saying the proceedings were under way.
Bebic said he was pleased that the tribunal acquitted general Ivan Cermak, but would not speculate if the other two would be acquitted too. He underlined the importance of separating politics from the judiciary, not only in Croatia, but elsewhere as well.
