No “cash”, no Europe!

In Croatia “Gotovina” means “cash”… It is known that on march 17, Croatia hopes to begin the negotiations for joining the European Union. Ante Gotovina is name of Croatian fugitive who is requested by international court for war crimes in Haag. Seams that extradition of Ante Gotovina is only obstacle to the process of Croatia joining to European union. This is the meaning of post’s title: Without Gotovina there will be no negotiations, “Without “cash”, there is no European union. It is funny that wherever you go to buy or pay something in Croatia, they will always ask you “Gotovina?” (cash?), so maybe this is the cause why Carla Del Ponte and other International instances thinks that Gotovina is still somewhere in Croatia. Even more, on every bill you pay with cash, there is written something like:
Gotovina: 100,00 Kn.
So to the foreigners(or foreign secret agents) it may seam as total conspiracy, in which all country, men and women, young and old has joined together to hide Ante Gotovina, praise his name, and help him to make fool from International Court… And more, in this total conspiracy, from every bill you pay some amount goes to Gotovina, it is even explicitly written (remember? Gotovina: 100,00 Kn.) as some kind of legal tax!

Gotovina in Croatia?

European instances may state with reason that “Gotovina” is still in Croatia! Fortunately there is still some “Gotovina”(cash) left in Croatia, in peoples tiny pockets and bank accounts… But what will happen if we send “Gotovina” to Haag? Will also cash from our pockets leave same way (which direction is already going), or is it kind of trade: “Gotovina” for cash! The most funny thing is that name of the main suitor is Carla Del Ponte(from Italy), which in Italian means something like “Karl of Bridge”. So, Mrs. Del Ponte (Mistress Of Bridge) is standing on the “bridge” that takes Croatia to European Union demanding for cash! “Give me Gotovina or you cannot pass”, she says! And poor people in Croatia are thinking: “Do we have to give all our ‘cash’ to join?”, “They took us all, and now they want even ‘cash’?”, so they came to conclusion: what is use of this European Union anyway?

And what is so funny in this?

Well, I think all this story is very funny, and not complete senseless. Countries with less developed democracy and economy than Croatia, already joined European Union. How can be that only one man can deny one country to join European union? Especially if everything else mach the criteria? Excuse me, but I see this as complete nonsense. If Croatia is not ready, if democratic standards doesn’t match: this is valid reason (but then say it), but if everything else is OK except Gotovina, there is no sense at all. Is Gotovina used as mean of achieving better positions in negotiations? Some kind of blackmailing? So there are two possibilities: Or our leaders are laying to us about Gotovina, and Gotovina is their excuse in front of people for incapability to setup European standards, or Europe is using Gotovina to blackmail Croatia. Funny story above may be some illustration of this case. Sincerely, knowing our situation, our democratic standards are far below European, so story about Gotovina doesn’t surprise me at all, it is only that we in Croatia lack of complete picture. What is to be concerned about, is wont that democratic standards continue to fall if we don’t join EU?