ZAGREB - Croatian newspapers on Thursday praised Kosovo's former premier for surrendering to the United Nations war crimes court, implicitly criticizing a fugitive Croatian general for hindering the country's European Union bid by remaining on the run.
Former Kosovo prime minister and guerrilla leader Ramush Haradinaj turned himself in to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague on Wednesday, in a move widely praised for setting an example of cooperation with the court.
The same day, chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte accused Croatia of failing to cooperate with the court in the hunt for retired general Ante Gotovina, wanted for alleged crimes against Serbs in 1995.
"Unlike the eternal fugitive Gotovina ... Haradinaj will return to Kosovo with an even greater aura of a hero and not with the image of a criminal," wrote independent daily Novi List.
"Haradinaj knew something that others refuse to understand," wrote daily Jutarnji List, referring to the general. "He knew that if he refused to appear (before the war crimes court), Kosovo risked falling into isolation and poverty," it said.
Haradinaj, 35, resigned as prime minister Tuesday after he received information that he was indicted by the UN court over his role in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. He denounced the indictment as a result of Serbian manipulation.
Del Ponte, who has repeatedly denounced former Yugoslav states for refusing to cooperate with the court, accused Zagreb on Wednesday of failing to detain Gotovina although he was within their reach. Croatian authorities say they do not know Gotovina's whereabouts.
The criticism was a severe setback for Croatia's hopes to start EU entry talks next week.
The EU's Luxembourg presidency said Wednesday it was still in theory possible for Croatia to start talks as planned on March 17, but stressed that Zagreb must demonstrate its good faith in helping with the manhunt.
03/10/2005 13:23 GMT