ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES MARKS 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF ZAVNOH

ZAGREB, Oct 16 (Hina) - Three public lectures were held at the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAZU) on Thursday marking the 60th anniversary of the second session of the Croatian anti- fascist council for national liberation (known as ZAVNOH), the supreme body of revolutionary authorities in Croatia during the Anti-Fascist Struggle (NOB). #L# A vice-president of the Croatian parliament, Vlatko Pavletic, recalled that ZAVNOH was part of the continuity of Croatia's statehood. All commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of ZAVNOH's second sitting are held under the auspices of the parliament. Present at today's event in HAZU was also Mauricije Magasic, one of the nine living ZAVNOH councillors. Magasic pointed to the importance of the scientific study of ZAVNOH "as the genuine promoter of the idea of Croatia's statehood". Hodimir Sirotkovic, a member of HAZU, said achievements of anti- fascism and ZAVNOH were legal prerequisites for Croatia's departure from the former socialist Yugoslav federation and the establishment of independence. Sirotkovic opposed bids to negate the Croatian people's contribution to the anti-fascist coalition of today. The contribution of the small Croatian nation to the anti-fascist victory was among the greatest in relation to other nations, Sirotkovic said. Discontinuity in abiding by the achievements of ZAVNOH in Croatia was the topic of a lecture held by Dusan Bilandzic, a member of HAZU. Bilandzic believes that the continuity of the ZAVNOH-based Croatia did not exist between the end of the Second World War and the mid- 1960s. Petar Strcic, also a member of HAZU, reiterated that it was the ZAVNOH-based Croatia which succeeded in reintegrating Istria into its system. Strcic added that neither the Independent State of Croatia (led by the Ustasha regime) nor the (Serb-dominated) Kingdom of Yugoslavia had managed to "set foot on Istrian soil". (hina) ms sb