Most of parliamentary benches in the Croatian parliament (Sabor) on Thursday supported the government's plan to make public Homeland War Veterans' Register, however, the strongest opposition party -- the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) -- believes that this move is aimed at shifting the attention of the Croatians from their real problems.
Josip Djakic and Tomislav Ivic of the HDZ said that the final draft amendments to the Law on the Rights of Croatian Homeland War Veterans and Their Families, which would facilitate making the Homeland War Veterans' Register public, were proposed by the majority only to delude war veterans about the rights which they would never exercise.
Djakic also criticised the government for not ensuring the necessary fund in the state budget for the implementation of the proposed law.
Franko Vidovic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) replied that Djakic had no exclusive right to represent the interests of Homeland Defence War veterans.
He said that "the register is a list of the most honorable people in Croatia which is why it should be made public."
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) said that the proposed amendments would improve the status of war veterans and Petar Baranovic of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) called for putting the register in the context it belonged to.
The Croatian Democratic Party of Slavonia and Baranja (HDSSB) supports the publication of the register but it also insists on publishing a register of Croatian citizens who participated in the aggression against Croatia in the early 1990s.
