Croatia reacts to Tadić’s UNSC speech

Croatia wrote a letter to the UN Security Council stating that Serbian President Boris Tadić’s address regarding this country was “unfounded.”

Croatia believes that Tadić “used the Kosovo debate” to make an “unfounded response” to outgoing Croat President Stjepan Mesić’s statements that he would intervene militarily against Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Citing diplomatic sources in the Security Council, Croatia’s Hina news agency reported that the Croatian UN mission submitted the letter to the Chinese ambassador, since China is presiding over the Council.

The letter states that Tadić gave “unfounded response to the words of Croatian President Stjepan Mesić on the possible consequences of the break-up of neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, (made) in his informal conversation with journalists during the New Year reception”.

The letter “particularly stresses”, reports said, that Mesić spoke in the conditional tense, speculating about what would happen in case of other events took place – “specifically the secession of the Republic of Srpska from the independent and internationally recognized Bosnia-Herzegovina, and it joining of the Republic of Serbia”.

The letter states that Mesić’s statements should be taken as a “radically formulated warning that the world should not close its eyes to the policies of RS Prime Minister Dodik, and the possible consequences of these policies, as it closed its eyes too long to the policies of Slobodan Milošević, which led to the collapse of Yugoslavia and bloody wars,” adding that “the collapse of neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina would be absolutely unacceptable for Croatia.”

The letter adds that the “unjustified and unacceptable” reactions will not turn Croatia away from “trying to improve neighborly relations with all regional countries”.