WW II MILITARY PENSIONERS CLAIM BACK THEIR RIGHTS

ZAGREB, March 19 (Hina) - The Croatian Pensioners Union (SUH) military pensioners section has requested that retired army members who participated in the WWII national liberation struggle (NOB) be given back their property as envisaged by the European legislation and that their status be adjusted to that of the Croatian Army (HV) members. Union commissioner Milivoj Borosa said at today's meeting of the union section that military pensioners had been wronged because neither the former nor the current authorities were treating them as professional soldiers but as workers, farmers or craftsmen. The pension allowances of retired army members have been reduced by 40 percent, he said. "The members of former armed forces have been given the same rights as the members of the younger armies in all of Europe, whereas NOB fighters were transferred to the care of the workers' insurance fund," Borosa said. He added that even members of Franco's fascist army in Spain had been transferred to the new pension system. There are slightly less than 8,000 retired members of the former armed forces and disabled war veterans in Croatia and as many widows. More than 30 percent of them are over the age of 80. (hina) sb rml