Cooperation Between the OSCE and Croatia

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We welcome [Croatian] Foreign Minister Picula to the Permanent Council. Your presence here, Mr. Minister, is a clear and welcome signal of the importance that your government attaches to membership in the OSCE. Thank you for taking the time to share your views with us here in Vienna.

Mr. Minister, your appearance here at the Permanent Council is particularly timely given recent events in Prevlaka. We welcome the protocol on Prevlaka signed by you and Foreign Minister Svilanovic on December 10. We commend you, Mr. Minister, for reaching agreement on this complex, politically-charged issue. The protocol on Prevlaka demonstrates exactly the type of progress and cooperation that is essential in bringing lasting peace and stability to Southeastern Europe.

As we mentioned when Ambassador Semneby appeared before the Permanent Council on November 21, we are pleased to hear that cooperation between the OSCE Mission and the government of Croatia is improving through constant and constructive dialogue. We reiterate our belief that this cooperation can only bolster OSCE's capability to assist the government of Croatia to effect the reforms to which it is committed.

Mr. Minister, we also welcome your statements made this morning and in Prague regarding the need for cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. We agree that this cooperation is one of the main indicators of Croatia's readiness to meet international standards.

We note positively that your government has finally provided the indictment of General Bobetko to the District Court and that you are engaged in an appropriate dialogue with the Tribunal over the processing of the case. We appreciate these actions, while also noting that steps taken to date have not yet placed Croatia in a situation of full cooperation with the Tribunal in the Bobetko case. We urge the government of Croatia to fully and promptly comply with all of its international obligations regarding the ICTY, in this and other pending cases.

On a related issue, we note that some progress has been made in the national prosecution of alleged war criminals, but also that unfortunately, some cases have been visible failures of justice. We urge the government of Croatia to redouble its efforts to ensure vigorous prosecution of all who are alleged to have committed war crimes, without regard to ethnicity.

Judicial reform is necessary to make these prosecutions timely and to create the conditions conducive to refugee return and reintegration. Only an effectively functioning judicial system can bring justice to the people of Croatia.

The right of return and reintegration of refugees and displaced persons is of particular concern to the United States. We call on the government of Croatia to implement and enforce the laws that it has adopted to address this issue.

There are many challenges that must be overcome to ensure that all Croatians have a genuine opportunity to return to their homes. Many of the specific barriers to return that were flagged in the latest OSCE Status report have appeared in previous reports, with no apparent corrective action having been taken over time.

My government acknowledges that there are genuine financial constraints to rapid reconstruction and sustainable return. However, resolving many of the legal and administrative barriers to return that were noted in the status reports would be cost-free, at least in monetary terms. The government of Croatia can signal its openness and dedication to completing the returns and reintegration process by taking affirmative action to remove those barriers.

While we recognize that the road to reconciliation is expensive, time-consuming, and difficult, it is the only path leading to membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions, such as NATO and the EU. We are eager to see Croatia as part of these institutions and we commend the steps taken so far in that direction.

In conclusion, we would again like to thank you, Mr. Minister, for coming to the Permanent Council. We pledge our continuing support for the work of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, in pursuit of our mutual goals and interests. Thank you.