Croat general ready to surrender - claim

A Croat general, believed to have been indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal, is ready to surrender, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said today.

He suggested an indicted suspect may resist extradition.

Racan said his Government ‘‘disagrees’’ with some aspects of the indictments, but will ‘‘defend our views in The Hague courtroom, not through conflict with the court and the world.’’

His pro-Western Government agreed last week to extradite Croat suspects to the court in The Hague.

The decision highly sensitive in Croatia, where many people view the generals as war heroes has confronted Racan’s Government with the threat of mass protests by veterans and the possible collapse of his Cabinet just 18 months after he took power.

Racan did not reveal the exact charges or the names of the two, the first Croat citizens to be indicted by the tribunal for wartime atrocities against the Serbs.

The indictments are sealed, meaning they can be made public only when the suspects are arrested and transferred to The Hague.

State-run media have said the indictments stem from the Croatian army’s 1993 and 1995 offensives to regain land seized by the Serbs during the 1991 war.

They say the suspects are retired General Ante Gotovina, a local commander during the 1995 offensive, and General Rahim Ademi, who was in charge of the 1993 operation in central Croatia.

Hundreds of Serbs were killed during and after the actions, and the tribunal has been investigating those crimes for years.

Its chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, announced the existence of the indictments on Friday.

She demanded that Croatia, which in 1996 enacted a law on cooperation with her tribunal, arrest and surrender those indicted.

Although that process could take months, Racan said today that Ademi ‘‘if he’s indicted’’ was ready to appear before the court voluntarily.

Ademi met President Stipe Mesic, the army’s supreme commander, last night.

Racan did not speak of Gotovina, whom Croatian newspapers reported Monday is unwilling to surrender.

Feral Tribune said Gotovina’s loyalists might even resort to the use of weapons to prevent his extradition.

The issue has sharply divided Croatia, where many have yet to accept that their compatriots should be held responsible for war crimes.

Thousands of Croats were killed in 1991 by Serb rebels backed by the Yugoslav army, and entire villages were wiped out in bombardments, prompting many people to glorify their fighters as protectors from Serb assaults.

Racan said Croatia’s reaction to the indictments ‘‘will really determine our homeland’s destiny.’’

His Government is under mounting pressure to cooperate now that Serbia has sent Slobodan Milosevic to The Hague.

‘‘The question now is whether Croatia will continue building its democracy, or will it be pushed by the silent majority and aggressive minority into the Balkans quagmire,’’ he said.

The opposition to extradition is coming from veterans, the former ruling nationalist party of the late President Franjo Tudjman, and his main coalition partner, the Social Liberals.

After four Social Liberal ministers resigned in protest over Racan’s decision to cooperate with the tribunal, Racan asked parliament to give his Government a vote of confidence.

That vote is expected on July 15, and it remained unclear whether Racan would get enough support to stay in power. A no-confidence vote would lead to early elections.

Racan said that if veterans follow through on threats to stage mass protests and road blockades, his Government will react with ‘‘all available means.’’

Roadblocks would keep away the thousands of tourists who provide the cash-strapped nation of 4.7 million with crucial revenue.

‘‘Such actions would be directed against the vital interests of Croatia,’’ Racan said. ‘‘The Government must prevent that.’’