"GOJKO SUSAK" VETERANS' ASSOCIATION PRESENTED

ZAGREB, Feb 23 (Hina) - Homeland war veterans, members of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), at an electoral session of the party in April, have a historic task of taking fate into their own hands and electing leaders "to lead Croatia", retired army chief- of-staff Janko Bobetko and chairman of the initiative committee for the establishment of a new veterans association called "Gojko Susak", said. The association sill be founded on March 15 as special way of organising HDZ veterans, with the aim of protecting the homeland war dignity, Bobetko told Saturday's news conference. Bobetko informed reporters about a letter he had sent to HDZ president Ivo Sanader, refuting claims in the daily press that committee members were in conflict with the party's leadership about the status of veterans. In the letter, Bobetko informs Sanader that, based on programme and statutory provisions of the HDZ, the Gojko Susak veterans association would be founded. Bobetko described in the letter as drastic the fact that there was a lack of appropriate reactions to the lies about the Homeland War and veterans, the first Croatian president Franjo Tudjman and the war- time defence minister Susak, as well as that the HDZ had no appropriate mechanisms to make it possible to hear veterans when it came to their interests. Retired Lieutenant General Kresimir Cosic stressed that the Croatian state needed the truth about the Homeland War and an appropriate status of veterans. Lieutenant Colonel Mirko Brekalo said "We have united, which means that danger has come to eye-level as only then we unite". (hina) lml sb