Ivanisevic defends war crimes suspects

Ivanisevic returned home a national hero

Wimbledon tennis champion Goran Ivanisevic has joined the campaign to prevent members of the Croatian army being handed over to the United Nations war crimes tribunal.

Croatia was the victim and its soldiers and generals were heroes

Sportsmens' letter

In an open letter carried by state news agency Hina, Ivanisevic and 10 other leading Croatian sportsmen said they were "dismayed by the government's decision to hand over two generals to the Hague tribunal".

The tribunal last week demanded the prompt arrest of the two suspects - widely believed to be retired general Ante Gotovina and General Rahim Ademi - who are accused of atrocities against Serb civilians during the war that followed Croatia's secession from the Yugoslav federation.

The Croatian Government has said it will comply with the request - a move that has caused political turmoil and threatens the survival of the country's fragile coalition.

As well as Ivanisevic, the letter was signed by six football players - Aljosa Asanovic, Slaven Bilic, Alen Boksic, Igor Stimac, Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban - and four basketball players - Franjo Arapovic, Veljko Mrsic, Dino Radja and Stojko Vrankovic.

Thousands of Serbs were forced out of Croatia in 1995

It says: "We were shocked to learn that the Croatian Government has decided to extradite two Croatian generals to The Hague tribunal.

"We do not understand politics, but we are reasonable people hurt by injustice. Croatia was the victim (in the war) and its soldiers and generals were heroes.

"If you love Croatia and the people who enabled both you and us to be what we are, do not allow the Croatian people to lose their pride forever."

All the signatories were in the Adriatic city of Split on Tuesday to take part in a wild homecoming party for Ivanisevic after he clinched the Wimbledon title.

Nationalist links

Last year, the entire national soccer team signed a letter of support to a group of army generals who were sacked by reformist President Stipe Mesic for publicly criticising the government's policy of co-operating with the Hague tribunal.

The move was attacked by the Croatian media, who said the players should not be meddling in political affairs.

The reaction forced coach Miroslav Blazevic to step down and some key members of the team that came third in the 1998 World Cup in France - including Stimac and Boksic - to retire from international football.