House Resolution 529 (III)

11/28/05

Dear Croatians and friends of Croatia,

Thank you for your calls, faxes and e-mails demanding that Congress remove language from House Resolution 529 stating Croatian General Ante Gotovina be sent to The Hague. Should the U.S. Congress decide to vote on this resolution, we have no other choice but to urge Members to vote "no" on the resolution. We will keep you posted on emerging developments.

It has come to our attention that a number of Congressmen said they were confused by these phone calls because the Croatian government has lobbied for the passage of such a resolution. Your calls are having a tremendous impact on this issue. We also learned that Croatian government officials were very displeased with our efforts. Instead of working with us and thanking us for our
intense lobbying efforts on behalf of the best interests of Croatia, they are trying to demonize the Croatian Worldwide Association (CWA) by spreading ridiculous myths and falsehoods--both about us and the resolution.

The truth of the matter is that Croatia can never truly be a part of NATO without our General, who built the military power based on Western principles that defeated Milosevic, Karadzic and Mladic and made the prospects of Croatia joining NATO even possible. Croatia?s membership in NATO with our hero and Homeland War criminalized would never materialize and would be simpy a farce.
The indictment against General Gotovina threatens the international legitimacy of the Croatian state. If the General is handed over to The Hague, in which he has already been convicted by the tribunal for "command responsibility" over Operation Storm, Croatia's national borders will no longer be secure and can be challenged by revanchist Serbs in the courts of international law.

This is not simply the opinion of the CWA, its members and numerous international experts, nevertheless, it is the opinion of the Serbian parliament and former "Krajina" Serb officials, such as Savo Strbac, who have been driving this indictment for the past several years. The Gotovina indictment establishes the legal and moral basis for a new Greater Serbia. This is why it is imperative for all Croatians around the world, especially the government in Zagreb, to demand that the indictment be dropped and that General
Gotovina not stand trial either in The Hague or Croatia ? because he is not a Milosevic or a Saddam Hussein.

We also demand that the Croatian government once and for all cease and desist from their hostility towards the General and begin an official campaign to secure General Gotovina?s freedom. If they won?t do anything, we will as Croatians who are proud of our heritage, dignity and homeland.

We cannot and must not wait a minute longer for others to rewrite our proud history.  It has been well over 4 years since the General's indictment and we must join together and defeat the bogus policies implemented by the U.S. State Department, the European Union and the United Nations.

In addition, The Hague's indictments against the Croatian journalists must be dropped. These indictments are absurd because they are an assault on basic press freedoms and Croatia?s democratic institutions. They also clearly show how corrupt The Hague court has become, and how hostile it is to Croatia's basic interests and values.

Therefore, please continue your efforts to call Congress. If they ask you, "Do you live in the Congressman?s district?"  Let them know, "Croatian General Ante Gotovina does not live in your district either, but the Congressman is supporting his false indictment. General Gotovina is innocent and the indictment must be dropped."

Finally, please remember that we have the truth and moral right on our side. Any Croatian that is indicted by The Hague is simply unacceptable. Croatians around the world will not allow this mockery of justice to continue.

We can--and we will--make a difference.