ZAGREB, 20 Dec 2021 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović said on Monday, a day after canceling a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina due to security risks, that he would come again.

Milanović yesterday canceled a visit to Travnik and Nova Bila and today would not elaborate on the security risks.

He said he would come to BiH again and that "no morality rabble-rousers will stop me."

"They can get lost", he added. "I can't be friends with everybody. If one should be in a conflict with someone, and that's the unitarist clique in Sarajevo who say they are patriots, I will be in conflict with them."

Milanović said he felt his statements helped the Croat people in BiH, otherwise, they would be exposed to disorganization. He reproached the Croatian government for not doing enough for their protection.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina doesn't exist without Croats. They are the smallest, but they tip the scales for the state's survival. If, after all that, a handful of unitarist rabble-rousers, morality usurers, don't like me, then great," the president said.

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ZAGREB, 19 Dec, 2021 - The police and security services in Bosnia and Herzegovina have said they did not receive any information of a threat to the security of Croatian President Zoran Milanović, who, according to a statement from his office, on Sunday cancelled his visit to central Bosnia and Herzegovina for security reasons.  

The head of the BiH Directorate for the Coordination of Police Agencies, Mirsad Vilić, told the Bosnia and Herzegovina BHRT public broadcaster on Sunday that they had worked for days with police agencies from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia that were involved in the organisation of the Croatian president's visit to central Bosnia.

"Our services did not have information that would indicate a threat to Zoran Milanović's security during his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina," Vilić said.

The body headed by Vilić coordinates the work of a number of police agencies and its personnel is most directly involved in the protection of VIPs.

The spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior of Central Bosnia Canton, Hasan Hodžić, has told the local media that the security situation in that canton is satisfactory.

The visit by President Milanović to Bosnia and Herzegovina, set for Sunday, has been cancelled due to security reasons, the Office of the President said earlier in the day.

The Croatian president was to have visited Travnik, central BiH, on Sunday morning to attend an event commemorating the 28th anniversary of a humanitarian convoy from Croatia which in 1993 visited the Croat enclaves of central Bosnia and Herzegovina that had been under siege by Bosniak forces for months.

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ZAGREB, 19 Dec, 2021 - The visit by Croatian President Zoran Milanović to Bosnia and Herzegovina set for Sunday has been cancelled due to security reasons, the Office of the President has said.

President Milanović was to have travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to attend an event marking the 28th anniversary of the humanitarian convoy "White Road for Nova Bila and Bosna Srebrena".

The decision to cancel the visit was made on the basis of a security assessment by the competent institutions of the Republic of Croatia, the Office of the President said in a statement today, without disclosing other details.

"President Milanović regrets that he will not attend the commemoration of the event, important for the Croats of the Lašva River valley, and expresses his strong support and gratitude to the organisers for preserving the memory of the humanitarian convoy 'White Road for Nova Bila and Bosna Srebrena' alive," the statement said. 

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ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman on Thursday called out President Zoran Milanović over his criticism of the government's support for the Council of the EU conclusions on Bosnia and Herzegovina, describing the president's statement as malicious and an attempt to destabilise the government.

"The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs rejects in the strongest terms the malicious insinuations that are detrimental to Croatia's interests, about Croatia's having endorsed conclusions that do not guarantee the rights of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a constituent people," Grlić Radman told a news conference in Zagreb.

In a letter he forwarded to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday, Milanović expressed dissatisfaction with and opposition to the Council of the EU conclusions, adopted on Tuesday, claiming that they do not guarantee rights to Bosnia and Herzegovina Croats as a constituent people in the country.

Grlić Radman today said that the conclusions' making mention of the Dayton Agreement "implies the constitutionality of the three peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

The minister described Milanović's criticism as an attempt to destabilise the government.

While earlier conclusions of the Council of the EU, adopted during the terms of previous Croatian governments, made no mention of the constituent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the part of Tuesday's conclusions concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina and the election reform in that country makes mention, at Croatia's request, of the importance of implementing rulings by the BiH Constitutional Court, which was not envisaged by earlier drafts, the minister said.

Grlić Radman said that the message of the conclusions adopted by the General Affairs Council was unequivocal: it is necessary to eliminate all forms of inequality and discrimination in the election process and implement decisions of Bosnia's Constitutional Court as well as the Sejdić-Finci ruling of the European Court of Human Rights.

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ZAGREB, 13 Dec 2021 - President Zoran Milanović decorated some participants of the Croatian Spring on Monday with the Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir with Sash and the Croatian Morning Star for their outstanding contribution to Croatia's independence and integrity as well as to the building and progress of the Croatian state.

The high decoration was awarded to Dražen Budiša, Ivan Zvonimir Čičak and Goran Dodig and posthumously to Jozo Ivičević Bakulić, Ljudevit Jonke, Ante Paradžik, Hrvoje Šošić, Marko and Vladimir Veselica. 

On this day fifty years ago the arrests had already begun and the repression by the former state was in full swing. Intellectuals, politicians, and students were arrested. Of those who were decorated today, only three are still alive, said Milanović, adding that these decorations have come with a great delay.

You fought for something that was right, beautiful, noble, for yourself but not against others. Not with hate, but with enthusiasm and motivation, he said at the award ceremony.

He thanked them for their courage and for being able to forgive their persecutors and continue living normal lives.

The Croatian state was created and defended with the will, power, enthusiasm, and courage by a small group of people, he added.

On behalf of the recipients of the decorations, Ivan Zvonimir Čičak underscored that this represented the decoration of thousands of people who are built into these decorations.

Those were times that cannot be described. It was not just a political movement but a time of enthusiasm that awoke under all the burden thrown onto the back of the Croatian people as being genocidal. We entered the political arena and enabled one wing of the party to reform and did what our hearts told us to, said Čičak.

After that repression followed with the arrest of students, intellectuals, and hundreds of other people, he said.

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ZAGREB, 5 Dec, 2021 - The chairman of the Bosniak ethnic minority council in Croatia, Armin Hodžić, said on Sunday that President Zoran Milanović's recent statement on the 1995 Srebrenica genocide crossed the line no one should cross.

"This kind of bargaining with genocide remembrance ... is unacceptable regardless of which side it comes from. Milanović has crossed the red line," Hodžić told a press conference in Zagreb.

Hodžić criticised Milanović for downplaying the scale of the genocide, committed by Bosnian Serb forces against Bosnian Muslims in the Srebrenica area of eastern Bosnia during the war in July 1995.

Hodžić said it was unacceptable that Milanović referred to the genocide as "a grave crime with elements of genocide", especially after international courts described it as an act of genocide.

Milanović downplayed the court judgments by saying that no court is the Holy Scripture, Hodžić said, wondering what sort of message that was to Croatian citizens.

Hodžić said that the most appalling part of Milanović's statement was that "not all victims are the same." Does that mean that Catholic or Muslim victims are more or less worthy than other victims? he wondered.

Hodžić recalled that 8,500 civilians had been killed in Srebrenica over a period of three days and that 1,200 were still unaccounted for. "There has been no such rhetoric in Croatia until now. It seems that we have entered a new dimension," he said, stressing that "no one, least of all people in high office such as the President of the Republic, should go below certain civilisational values."

Hodžić said that the continuity of Milanović's public statements showed his prejudice against Bosniaks. "That's a kind of organic primitivism. He regards Bosniaks as people who are only fit to work on building sites and make ćevapi (grilled minced-meat fingers). His view that the victims of the Srebrenica genocide are less worthy than the victims of some other genocides and war crimes is based on that kind of attitude." 

He said that the purpose of such statements by Milanović was to win over Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik "so that he would not stand in the way of amending the electoral law or achieving any other political goals in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

"Milanović is Dodik's closest pal today," Hodžić said.

Speaking of Croatia's policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said that it was "under the excessive influence" of Bosnian Croat politicians from Mostar.

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ZAGREB, 29 Nov 2021 - Defence Minister Mario Banožić on Monday responded to accusations from the president's office that soldiers were not receiving per diems, telling the head of the president's office and the president's defence advisor that the ministry "will not cover for their incompetence".

"Instead of holding unconvincing press conferences and shifting responsibility to others, the gentlemen from the Office of the President should be more responsible in spending their office's budget, so there would be no problems they had mentioned. While I am minister, the Ministry of Defence will not cover for their incompetence," Banožić wrote on Facebook.

The head of the president's office, Orsat Miljenić, and presidential defence adviser Dragan Lozančić said today that Banožić's abuse had spread to soldiers who supported the president because they had not received their per diems.

Miljenić said Banožić decided a month ago not to pay per diems to soldiers who supported President Zoran Milanović in any way, specifically soldiers who recently were lined up in Vukovar and carried wreaths in Škabrnja.

Miljenić said the military chief-of-staff warned the president's office about dozens of such cases in the past month. He added that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was notified but has taken no action.

Miljenić said this situation was unacceptable and hoped that Banožić would rescind his "unconstitutional and unlawful decision" and resume paying people what they had earned.

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ZAGREB, 29 Nov 2021 - The head of the president's office, Orsat Miljenić, and presidential adviser Dragan Lozančić said on Monday that Defence Minister Mario Banožić's abuse had spread to soldiers who supported the president because they had not received their per diems.

Speaking to the press in the president's office, Miljenić said soldiers were doing their job honorably and that Banožić's abuse had spread to them following the "unlawful and sudden" retiring of Colonel Elvis Burčul and the harassment of the Chief of the General Staff, Admiral Robert Hranj.

Miljenić said Banožić decided a month ago not to pay per diems to soldiers who supported President Zoran Milanović in any way, specifically soldiers who recently were lined up in Vukovar and carried wreaths in Škabrnja.

Miljenić said the president's office had to react because Hranj warned them about dozens of such cases in the past month. He added that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was notified but has taken no action.

Miljenić said this situation was unacceptable and hoped that Banožić would rescind his "unconstitutional and unlawful decision" and resume paying people what they had earned.

The president's defence and national security adviser Lozančić said the people in question were active soldiers who were executing their tasks in line with annual plans.

He said that in a letter to the defence minister, Chief-Of-Staff Hranj told Banožić that he saw his decision in part as a continuation of his conduct so far, which Hranj said had all the elements of a strategic abuse of him as a person and a soldier which began when Banožić asked that Hranj resign, and continued in public criticisms and Defence Ministry press releases.

Under the decision in question, Armed Forces personnel are not allowed to support the president's office nor use Defence Ministry money. Also, the costs incurred while extending such support will not be paid.

In his letter, Hranj told Banožić that his decision obstructs and hampers the functioning of the Armed Forces in general, and in particular the Honorary and Protection Battalion, whose fundamental job is to support and protect the president.

Responding to questions from the press, Lozančić said that unless the minister changed his decision, the president had two choices, either not to execute his duty as commander in chief and represent the army at certain events or do so.

Miljenić said all people in possession of a valid command and travel order would get their money, and that he hoped there would be no lawsuits, but added that this was up to the minister.

He said the president was elected to also represent the army at home and abroad, which the minister "neither can nor has the right to restrict."

Miljenić said the president would continue to go where he had to and that under the constitution and the law, the minister was not authorized to withhold per diems for soldiers accompanying the president.

He added that it was Hranj who gave the commands based on which travel orders were issued, and noted that the commander in chief represents the Armed Forces and that they support him in doing so, in which the minister of defence has no say.

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ZAGREB, 27 Nov, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović on Saturday issued a message offering his best wishes to the Jewish faithful for the holiday of Hanukkah.

"I wish all the best to all the Jewish faithful for Hanukkah, may the holiday of dedication and lights bring you an abundance of strength, peace and well-being and fill your homes with the warmth and joy of coming together. Chag Hanukkah Sameach!" Milanović said in his message.

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ZAGREB, 25 Nov 2021 - The French national anthem played outside Croatian President Zoran Milanović's office to welcome French President Emmanuel Macron, the first French president visiting Croatia since it gained independence.

Milanović welcomed Macron with the highest state honors.

The Croatian Armed Forces orchestra played the two countries' national anthems. Also present was the Honorary and Protection Battalion.

After the welcoming ceremony, the two presidents went to a tête-à-tête meeting.

Macron will then lay a wreath at the Homeland Monument in Stjepan Radić Square. He expressed the wish to pay his respects to those killed in the 1991-95 Homeland War and will be the first high guest to do so at the new Zagreb memorial.

After that, Macron is going to the government.

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