Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said on Wednesday that one should distinguish between the glorification of the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia and the insignia of a unit from the 1991-95 Homeland War.

Jandrokovic made the statement, avoiding an explicit answer, when asked if his HDZ party would support the initiative by the Jewish Community of Zagreb to ban the Ustasha salute “For the homeland ready”.

Participating in a commemoration at Zagreb’s Mirogoj cemetery on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jandrokovic condemned the criminal NDH regime and its crimes, but as for insignia used by members of the HOS units in the 1991-95 Homeland War, he said that he did not think those wearing the insignia at anniversaries supported the Ustasha regime and the NDH, even though “some of them do.”

He agreed that any form of glorification of the Ustasha regime should be legally regulated and banned.

“This is a sensitive issue and it would be good if a consensus was reached on the matter,” he said, adding that the recommendation by the Council for dealing with the consequences of undemocratic regime was a good basis for that.

“One should distinguish between the glorification of the NDH and the insignia of a unit that participated in the Homeland War. Commemorations for young people who died in the war wearing those insignia are not about the glorification of the NDH but about paying respect to their sacrifice,” he said.

“Those who associate those insignia used in the Homeland War with the NDH are wrong and we should penalise that,” he said.

Jandroković says sorry Tušek did not act more maturely

Jandrokovic also commented on a secretly recorded conversation between his party colleague Zarko Tusek and Viktor Simunic, an independent councillor from Oroslavje, in which Tusek offers Simunic help in financing his election campaign as well as possible public posts after the elections in exchange for Simunic’s support for the HDZ platform.

“As for Tusek, I am sorry it happened. I do not understand why he had that conversation. It is politically naive, the phrases he used were awkward and some of them were inappropriate,” he said.

He noted that he did not believe Tusek’s intentions were dishonorable but rather that the conversation was about taking a potential political partner’s pulse.

“I am confident Tusek is sorry for having done it and that he did not act more maturely,” he said.

He added that the party would hold a meeting with Tusek.

“We will see what is best for him and the HDZ. We will also see what (anti-corruption investigating agency) USKOK will say,” he said.