President Milanović: Croatia’s position on the recognition of Palestine must be agreed upon by the President and the Government; it cannot be Plenković’s decision
“After the terrorist rampage by Hamas on the 7th of October and after the disproportionate and savage reaction of the Israeli authorities, I was among the first in Europe to warn that Israel will lose sympathy very quickly if it continues like this. It continued, and now we are where we are,” said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović in Rijeka following a special session of the Senate held on the occasion of University of Rijeka Day, commenting on this morning’s announcement by Norway, Spain, and Ireland that they will recognize Palestine as a state.
In response to reporters’ questions, he explained how Croatia should act when it comes to recognizing Palestine. “It is not an easy decision. Palestine is already recognized by some countries. This shows the need for the country to take a position. And the position is taken by agreement or conversation between the President of the Republic and the Government, i.e. the Prime Minister, which Plenković has been undermining for several years. Therefore, before taking a final position, one should sit down and talk about it. But also about some other matters in which the Government, specifically Plenković, is usurping, completely unconstitutionally, something that falls under joint jurisdiction. The Constitution clearly states that Croatia is represented in, for example, the European Union by the Government and the President of the Republic, depending on their powers. When these powers are divided, as in the case of foreign and security policy, then recognition of a state requires agreement and discussion. This cannot be Plenković’s first and last decision, what suits him most privately. Therefore, there are arguments for the recognition of Palestine, but there are even more arguments for the conversation. If we decide to recognize Palestine, it certainly is not and will not be done to harm Israel. And if we are going to decide, we need to discuss and agree on that, because it is not a small decision. Israel, or the Israeli authorities, have done terrible things in the last six months. Someone should be held accountable for that. However, the question is whether the International Criminal Court is that body, whether it indeed has jurisdiction over Israel, that remains to be seen. There is also the question of whether it has jurisdiction over Putin and Russia. These are terribly complicated matters and there is no clear and unequivocal answer to them,” said President Milanović.
President Milanović also commented on the announced increase in the salaries of the prime minister and ministers. “The HDZ members do not live off their salaries, but many MPs do, and their salaries should be indexed because they have been the same for years,” said the President, adding that he had not thought about how much their real increase should be. “I haven’t thought about it, and it doesn’t concern me. The salary I receive is enough for me, and I don’t want to talk about it at all,” he said.
He also commented on the formation of the HDZ – DP Government. “Even Putin wouldn’t think of that, it’s called a maskirovka: you do one thing, say one thing, and in fact, plan something else. This story, which Pupovac and his satellites are repeating, that Plenković is the protector of Croatia from extremism and the Ustasha, is a shameless fabrication. Plenković made an agreement with a party that won 10 percent in the elections. That party didn’t ask for anything and got roughly the same as Most in 2016. So, there is obviously some reason why they don’t ask Plenković for anything. Plenković does not protect anyone from anything. Serbs in Croatia do not need protectors, not Plenković, and even less Pupovac,” said President Milanović.
“Pupovac got 80 votes in Zagreb, 20 in Rijeka, he got votes in the villages, but not him. Where he lives, where he poses, and where he causes trouble with his whining, no one votes for him there, not a single Serb. Neither the Serbs need a protector, nor Plenković, and especially not Pupovac, nor are they threatened by anything in Croatia. Croatia is threatened by a corrupt cartel, which is the HDZ, and that threat is still real. Plenković went to the referendum, he got 35 percent of the votes, everyone else wanted that guy to leave, and he is still the prime minister. Is it unconstitutional? It’s not! Is it gross? Yes, it is! You need to have enough, not the most. Someone was found who patched up his holes without asking for anything in return,” he said.
“Croatia is not threatened by the likes of the Ustasha. If anyone is going to defend it from that imaginary threat, it’s me. And other centrists and leftists. But there is no such threat in Croatia. There is a threat of thievery and corruption when someone like Pupovac and others like him raise their hand without any problem for Turudić and see nothing wrong in it. Before that, he normally obstructs the election of Zlata Đurđević as President of the Supreme Court. So, the man only does what Plenković tells him. No one has seen such love. This is important. It is more important for us than Palestine and Israel,” President Milanović concluded.