SPLIT PROTESTERS DEMAND END OF NORAC'S PROSECUTION, NE

SPLIT, Feb 11 (Hina) - At the greatest rally ever held in the southern Adriatic city of Split, 150,000 people gathered on Sunday protesting against a warrant for the arrest of retired general Mirko Norac demanding the end of the prosecution of the general and all Croatian Homeland War veterans, the end of cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and early elections. The demands were presented in a declaration which was read at the end of the protest. In line with the declaration, the authorities should voice their opinion on the demands by February 15. "We will not allow the authorities to identify with the state, and Mirko Norac is the symbol of the defence and victory and a relationship toward him is a relationship toward the values on which this country was founded", the declaration read. The protesters hold the Croatian President and Prime Minister the most responsible for devaluating war veterans and the Homeland Defence War, as well as generals who won the war. Present at the protest were representatives of all Croatian political parties but the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Liberal Party (LS) and Croatian People's Party (HNS), as well as representatives of trade unions, universities and numerous associations. Apart from heads of veterans' association, also speaking at the protest were retired general Janko Bobetko on behalf of the present retired generals, Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Ivo Sanader, the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) president Anto Djapic, vice presidents of the Croatian Republican Party and the Croatian Christian Democratic Union Goran Dodig and Anto Kovacevic, Croatian Pure Party of Rights president Ivan Gabelica, vice president of the association for prosperity and identity Nenad Ivankovic and others. In harsh criticism and inappropriate words, all the speakers advocated the establishment of a Croatian block and unification of all political parties which supported and participated in the protest in Split. The block aims at removing the current power by democratic means. Earlier this week, police have been ordered to issue an arrest warrant for retired general Mirko Norac, a new suspect in war crimes against Croatian Serb civilians in the central town of Gospic in 1991. He was commissioned as general while commanding some of the most important operation in the Homeland Defence War. In late September last year, Croatia's President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Stipe Mesic decided to retire seven active army generals, including Norac. The decision was made on the basis of the Constitution, the law on service in the armed forces, and the law on pension scheme rights of active military officers and authorised official persons. The seven retired generals were among the 12 signatories of an open letter addressed the public yesterday in which they called on putting an end to the criminalisation of Croatia's early 1990s Homeland Defence War. (hina) it