CROATIA MARKS INDEPENDENCE DAY ON OCTOBER 8

ZAGREB, Oct 6 (Hina) - On October 8 Croatia marks Independence Day in memory of 8 October 1991, when its parliament adopted a unanimous decision to sever all constitutional relations with the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). #L# The day before, on 7 October 1991, a three-month moratorium on Croatia's decision of 25 June 1991 to declare independence and sovereignty expired. In line with the Brijuni Declaration of July 7, the implementation of the parliament's decision to declare independence and sovereignty was postponed for three months following a request by the European Community that the Yugoslav crisis be solved peacefully. After the moratorium expired, the Croatian parliament on October 8 adopted a decision at a joint session of its three councils to sever constitutional relations with the former SFRY. Due to the danger of an attack by the former JNA and Serb terrorists, the session was held in secrecy in the basement of the national oil company INA's building in Zagreb's Subiceva Street. By adopting the decision, the parliament established that Croatia no longer considered bodies of the SFRY legitimate and legal, or any legal act of any body acting on behalf of the former federation valid. It was also established that Yugoslavia no longer existed as a federation. During the three-month moratorium, the JNA and Serb terrorists stepped up attacks on Croatian towns and villages, destroying hospitals, schools, churches, monuments and other civilian buildings. On 7 October, a JNA jet bombarded Banski Dvori, the seat of the then Croatian president Franjo Tudjman. Independence Day was introduced in the calendar of national holidays in 2001 with the adoption of changes to the law on holidays and memorial days, and was marked for the first time in 2002. (hina) rml sb