CROATIA SCRAPPED IDEA OF MILITARY ACTION IN VUKOVAR AT GENSCHER'S REQUEST

MOSTAR, May 17 (Hina) - Former Croatian Health Minister Andrija Hebrang said in Bosnia's Mostar on Friday that the Croatian state leadership scrapped the idea of taking a military action to help Vukovar in autumn of 1991, at the request of the then German Foreign Minister Hans Detrich Genscher, who said should Croatia fail to comply with the request Germany would deny Croatia its support. "In stead of a military operation aimed at deblocking Vukovar, Croatia organised a humanitarian convoy," Hebrang said at the presentation of a book called "Appeals by Dr. Vesna Bosanac" (unofficial translation). Hebrang said he was present at a session at which the state leadership was making a plan for opening the Vukovar corridor. He said that all plans were completed and that military commanders and politicians were confident in the success of the military action in Vukovar. Hebrang said that Genscher demanded that the operation be prevented. According to Hebrang, the German diplomat allegedly said that cooperation between Croatia and Germany would end should Croatia proceed with the operation because such a military action would change the world's image of "Croatians who are defending themselves and Serbs who are the aggressor". The author of the book, Vesna Bosanac, spoke about the war, refugee and returnee Way of the Cross of Vukovar residents. (hina) it sb