ZAGREB, 27 January 2021 - On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Zoran Milanović and senior parliament and government officials on Wednesday laid a wreath at the sculpture "Moses" at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery.
In a statement to the press, Milanović called on members of the wartime Croatian Defence Force (HOS) not to use the Ustasha salute as it sullied their contribution to the defence of the homeland.
Commenting on the incident at a recent commemoration of the 28th anniversary of Operation Maslenica, when he cancelled his attendance due to the salute "For the homeland ready" on HOS uniforms, he said that he would show a clear position on that in any such situation.
When a reporter remarked that the coat of arms of the HOS association was legal, Milanović said that it was a very cynical argument, adding that it entered the Administration Ministry's register 20 years ago like an autoimmune disease.
He said that the problem could be solved through education and peaceful conversation, adding that it could not be resolved overnight.
He said that the ban on Ustasha symbols and insignia should be taken over by those who could make a change, namely the parliament.
Commenting on remarks by the ruling HDZ party that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) could have done it too while in power, Milanović said that such excuses made the difference between a serious state and one that was not.
