Croatian Deputy Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks said on Sunday evening that the government, led by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, would do everything to "break the spine" of the verdicts by which the ICTY sentenced Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac to 24 and 18 years in prison.
Asked what the government will do to help prepare a quality appeal against the verdict for Gotovina and Markac, Seks told the Nova TV commercial television that the government will start taking broad legal, political and diplomatic activities to help "break the spine" of the verdict which is not final. He said the government would do everything to refute the thesis on a joint criminal enterprise. Seks said the government had the support of relevant veterans associations, adding that it would also request the amicus curie status and bring together world expects to help the defence team to refute the fundamental unacceptable thesis on a joint criminal enterprise.
Seks said the Jadranka Kosor government had done everything to protect the dignity of the Homeland War and Operation Storm.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Friday sentenced General Ante Gotovina to 24 years in prison and General Mladen Markac to 18 years in prison for their participation in a joint criminal enterprise, the aim of which was to forcibly and permanently remove the Serb population from occupied areas of Croatia during and after Operation Storm, launched on August 4, 1995. The Hague tribunal acquitted the third Croatian general in this case, Ivan Cermak. Cermak returned to Croatia on Friday.
