Marathon debate continues in Croatia

Despite hours of debate the deputies have still not voted

The Croatian parliament has been continuing a long and heated debate, ahead of a confidence vote called by Prime Minister Ivica Racan over a decision to extradite two suspected war criminals.

The session started at around 1000 (0800 GMT) on Sunday and it is still not known when the vote will take place.

This is not a question of the fate of this government, but of the fate of all citizens of Croatia

Prime Minister Ivica Racan

Parliamentary speaker Zlatko Tomcic has urged the 151 deputies to work more quickly, warning that at the current pace the vote could not take place before 0600 (0400 GMT) on Monday.

Deputies from the five parties of the ruling coalition as well as those of regional parties and those representing minorities have said they will support Mr Racan, thus making it virtually certain that he would garner the 76 votes necessary.

Isolation and sanctions

Mr Racan told the deputies at the start of the session that a refusal to extradite the suspects would lead to "isolation" for Croatia and international sanctions.

"This is not a question of the fate of this government, but of the fate of all citizens of Croatia," Mr Racan said.

"We cannot plunge Croatia into the obscurity of the Balkans," he added.

His view was supported by the deputies from the centre-left ruling coalition and regional parties, stressing that Croatia "had no alternative."

Nationalist opposition

Nationalists from the late President Franjo Tudjman's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and rightist parties were opposing the decision.

Prime Minister Racan: Criticised for decision to extradite

The decision last weekend to co-operate with the war crimes court has sparked the most serious political crisis in Croatia since moderates took over from nationalists 18 months ago.

Four ministers from the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), the second biggest in the ruling coalition, have resigned citing a "moral conflict" between their party's position and the decision.

Mr Racan has said that he also needs a vote to see if his government has the backing for carrying out painful reforms to revive the ailing economy and move Croatia closer to the West.

Divided opinion

The extradition decision also triggered immediate protests from veterans of Croatia's 1991 war for independence.

Croats remained divided over the issue, with many unprepared to accept that men they consider war heroes might have committed crimes in the war, which erupted when ethnic Serbs took up arms to rebel against Croatia's independence from former Yugoslavia.

Gotovina's whereabouts are unknown

The indictments remain sealed until the suspects are brought before the court, but government sources said they stem from Croatia's 1993 and 1995 offensives to regain lands seized by the Serbs in 1991.

Hundreds of Serbs were killed during and after the operations.

Vow to protect

One of the suspects, General Rahim Ademi, agreed to surrender voluntarily and is to fly to The Hague next week.

An arrest warrant was issued on Friday against the other suspect, widely believed to be retired General Ante Gotovina.

Mr Gotovina said earlier that he is unwilling to face the court.

His whereabouts remain unknown, and some of his fellow fighters have vowed to protect him against being arrested for subsequent extradition.