Zagreb, July 23, 2001 (IKA) — The Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops has issued the following statement on the current events in Croatia, which is signed by the president of the Commission, Bishop Ivan Milovan of Poreč-Pula, and which we present in its entirety:

“In response to the impetus of the Croatian bishops at their recent special session held on July 17 of this year, sharing the concern of many Croatian citizens regarding to the situation in which our country finds itself, wanting to enter into dialogue concerning questions being discussed in our country at all levels, upon which the future of our country may depend, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops issues the following

STATEMENT

1. For many years, at relatively brief intervals, the citizens of Croatia have been subjected to conditions of great psychological tensions due to events on the political scene. One of the reasons for these reoccurring conditions is the undefined and unclear attitude exhibited by some international officials toward the Croatian state and the manner in which it achieved its independence. Despite the facts that Croatia is internationally recognized and included in the most important international organizations, has become an equal member of the community of world nations and states, and its sovereignty and independence are not directly disputed, some international officials have called Croatia’s origin into question to such a degree that by their attitudes they appear to be disputing the independence and sovereignty of the state itself.
2. Although all the domestic political elite have publicly stated that they neither consider the legitimate origin of the Croatian state nor its progress toward independence and integrality to be disputable, nonetheless it is clear that even at the beginning of the struggle for independence and in the various phases, all did not participate equally nor do all currently agree in their assessments of the path toward independence. Thus, in addition to the crisis in connection with international officials, there is an even more dangerous crisis within the country itself, to the extent that it is possible to speak of two Croatias, i.e. two opposite attitudes toward a single reality, of a breakdown within the Croatian national being. We should not be permitted to reconcile ourselves with the fact that the process of national reconciliation has experienced its ultimate failure.
3. In order to exit this double crisis, it is necessary to secure a clear negotiating position on the international level. First of all, everyone who feels that he has the right to involve himself in the matters of the Croatian state should clearly define his attitudes toward its past and future. Various third-rank officials should not be permitted to issue pronouncements that can cause unrest among the entire Croatian public. Every statement by the international authorities should not only have a clear foundation in international law but in Croatian law.
4. One of the parliamentary representatives cited Stjepan Radić, who characterized the envoys who went to Belgrade in 1918 as geese going into the fog, because a satisfactory negotiating position had not been previously secured. Today, it is necessary to remove the fog obscuring our past so that no one will be able to assume the right to pull out random evidence against Croatia. It is highly indicative that two indictments from the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague have arrived sealed, despite reassurances up to now from this court that it is generally satisfied with cooperation from Croatia. Matters have reached an apocalyptical level in which no one in Croatia is worthy of removing the seal from a letter sent by a clerk. This truly obscures the path we have traveled and that which awaits us, perhaps even more so than the fog enveloping the Croatian delegation that went to Belgrade in 1918. We cannot rid ourselves of the impression that there is collusion among influential persons from foreign countries and likeminded persons in Croatia who are plotting and promoting this fog, so that “should the need arise” they can easily pull out some new evidence against Croatian independence, i.e. provoke a new political crisis and obstruct the free path toward full sovereignty.
5. Representatives of the elected authorities must continue dialogue with the representatives of the international community on an equal footing, especially the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, and firmly defend the principles upon which our country was founded. It should be emphasized that in the assessment of the events in our territories, it is necessary to take into account all the circumstances including the place, time and course of events, in order to issue a verdict based upon justice, and not according to political interests and a “balance of guilt.” The general international public must be sufficiently informed and the tribunal in The Hague must receive sufficiently convincing documents on the causes and consequences, on the aggressor and victim of the aggression against Croatia. We wish every Croatian government, regardless of which block or coalition it is from, success in creating a clear and firm negotiating position with the international institutions.
6. On the domestic front, it is necessary to have a consensus about essential matters. The positions of the various factions within the Croatian state should contain all the essential elements of our statehood. Today, in this sense, all of us must free ourselves of the exclusivity of our own meritorious services. Certainly, the Catholic Church must free itself of its possessive love of Croatia, as if it had to be indissolubly bound to the Church. No one has the right to appropriate that which is common property. This is especially the case because those who created the Croatian state did not do so only for themselves and their own but for all its citizens, even those who did not share the same degree of engagement and sacrifice in its founding and defense. This should not be understood in the sense of failing to value and honor the actual meritorious services of individuals and groups in the founding of the state but they should not clasp the Croatian state with possessive love as their own private property and right, where others can only be guests but not equals. Genuine love of the nation and the independent state supersedes the advantages of individuals and parties. In this light, it is important for the current ruling coalition to be open toward the previous government in valuing and honoring its meritorious services in the establishment and development of Croatian independence. On the other side, it imperative for the current parties of the so-called Croatian block to be far more tolerant toward the ruling coalition because in 1991 all of us chose our freedom and defended an independent Croatia.”