SARAJEVO: PANEL DISCUSSION DEDICATED TO TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF HVO

SARAJEVO, April 4 (Hina) - The fate of the Croat Defence Council (HVO) is the paradigm of the fate of the Croat people in Bosnia- Herzegovina, Jadranko Prlic, the first president of the HVO, which was established ten years ago, said in Sarajevo on Thursday. Prlic stressed the HVO played a very important role in the protection of basic human and ethnic rights of the Croat people. #L# Speaking at a panel discussion organised by the Defence Ministry of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Prlic said the HVO's establishment and activities had always been accompanied by controversies and accusations, although the HVO's main goal had always been protection against Serbian aggression. The HVO was exposed to a variety of libels and manipulation, including accusations that it was the long arm of Zagreb and that its purpose was the secession of part of Bosnia-Herzegovina's territory, as well as that it was a criminal structure, Prlic said. Bosnia's incumbent foreign trade minister and war-time defence minister considers that the greatest value of the HVO's struggle is the successful defence of the Croat people and the fact that it laid the foundations of a modern army, which started with the formation of guard brigades. He urged for more tolerance towards what is considered different and warned that soldiers must not be exposed to manipulatation, such a case being last year's attempt to establish Croat self- government. Despite a huge advantage in equipment and number of soldiers of the then Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Serb paramilitary units, the HVO managed to do the impossible - defend the largest part of Croat territories and in an unequal fight prevent the planned expansion of the borders of the Serb state in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Filip Filipovic said. The celebration of the tenth anniversary of the HVO will continue on Friday with the line-up of the Croat component of the Federation Army at Kupres. The highest Croat military and political officials from Bosnia-Herzegovina will speak at the central event, to take place in Sarajevo on Saturday. (hina) sb rml