GENERAL BOBETKO BURIED WITH HIGHEST MILITARY HONOURS

SISAK, May 2 (Hina) - Retired Croatian General Janko Bobetko was buried on Friday at Sisak's central cemetery with the highest military honours and a religious service in the presence of his family, fellow fighters, residents of his hometown of Crnac and some 25,000 people from around Croatia and abroad. #L# Bobetko was bid goodbye by his neighbour and friend from Crnac, Ante Zivkovic, and two of his closest and most loyal associates, Generals Ivan Korade and Ivan Basarac. A prayer for the late general was said by the military ordinary, Msgr. Juraj Jezerinac. Zivkovic said that freedom and a free Croatia were the most important goal and achievement for General Bobetko. General Korade recalled the battles in which he fought alongside Bobetko, defending the country. General Bobetko was a soldier, a victorious army leader who leaves behind brilliant deeds and a proud Croatia, Korade said. General Basarac said that Croatia's generals and people would continue striving towards the ideals for which Bobetko had lived. Commenting on an indictment The Hague-based war crimes tribunal issued against Bobetko, Basarac said that those who had fought for Croatia's freedom had not been able to live in freedom over the past few years. "If there is no freedom for Gotovina, Norac, Ademi, there can be no freedom for anyone in Croatia," Basarac said. The funeral was also attended by President Stjepan Mesic's envoy and head of his military cabinet, Kresimir Kaspar, Parliament President Zlatko Tomcic's envoy Marijana Petir and Labour Minister Davorko Vidovic, who attended the funeral privately. Of party leaders, apart from the Croatian Democratic Union's Ivo Sanader, also present were the Croatian Party of Rights' Anto Djapic, the Croatian Christian Democratic Union's Anto Kovacevic, the Croatian Bloc's Ivic Pasalic, the Croatian True Revival's Miroslav Tudjman and the honorary president of the Croatian Independent Democrats, Josip Manolic. (hina) rml sb