Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zoran Milanovic believes that the government, rather than the president of the republic, is responsible for the case of Vukovar war veteran Tihomir Purda, who is in custody in Bosnia and Herzegovina, awaiting extradition to Serbia whose authorities suspect him of alleged war crimes.
"Let's imagine that Mr Purda is not a veteran, but so to speak, an ordinary citizen. He has been left on his own also as an ordinary citizen because someone was not doing their job. Someone should have provided him with relevant information because he is a Croatian citizen," Milanovic said in an interview on Croatian Television in a comment on the case of the Vukovar war veteran who was arrested in Bosnia in early January on an international warrant issued by Serbian authorities.
Milanovic said he hoped that Serbian prosecutorial authorities would discontinue proceedings against Purda, "who, according to the belated assessment of our institutions, is innocent."
Commenting on the statement by Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) member of Parliament Andrija Hebrang that the presidents of Croatia and Serbia, Ivo Josipovic and Boris Tadic, should do something with regard to that case, Milanovic said that the two presidents did not have such powers and that the case was within the jurisdiction of the executive authorities.
Speaking of the economic situation in the country, the SDP leader said that the government was late with reforms.
The agreement reached by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and banks, under which the government would give citizens subsidies for the first-time apartment purchase, only favours banks which are keeping excessive interest rates on loans because they can wait, Milanovic said, adding that the government's decision was actually sending a message to investors and bankers not to lower the excessive prices of housing space.
Asked what he would do if he were in the government's place, Milanovic said that his party had proposed taxing interest rates above five percent, but that the ruling party turned the proposal down.
Commenting on investigations into crimes committed in the wake of World War II, Milanovic recalled that in 2002 the SDP launched an initiative to investigate those war crimes by establishing an investigative commission led by Goran Granic, a deputy to the then Prime Minister Ivica Racan of the SDP.
"Why that ended in 2003 and 2004, when the HDZ came to power, and why that issue is being raised only now is a question I don't even want to ask," Milanovic said, adding that the crimes should be investigated.
Speaking of President Ivo Jospovic's first year in office, Milanovic said he deserved a very high grade for proving to be a very successful statesman.
