PRESIDENT MESIC VISITS ISTRIAN PENINSULA

LABIN, March 2 (Hina) - President Stipe Mesic visited the western town of Labin on Friday on the 80th anniversary of the Labin Republic which the Labin area marks under the auspices of the head of state. The Labin Republic, which local miners formed to resist Italian fascism, was the first major resistance to fascism in Europe, Mesic told a session which gathered representatives of the Istra County Assembly, the council of the Labin and neighbouring municipalities, and the county alliance of anti-fascist fighters. Commenting on the role the Istrian peninsula plays in democratic Croatia, Mesic said "its economic and political vision should be followed by other Croatian counties." He stressed the Italian national community considerably contributed to Croatia's national and cultural diversity, representing a bridge of cooperation with Italy. "Anti-fascism enabled us to have today a Croatian state. If there hadn't been anti-fascism we know how the Second World War would have ended here, Croats would have disappeared," he said. Mesic stressed the Istrian population was aware of the importance anti-fascism had played to the present, but that there were also those who thought the Croatian state could be built on different foundations. He described those thoughts as "lost illusions." Commenting on relations with the neighbours, Mesic said the problems with Slovenia could be solved quickly, with good will from both sides. He added relations with Bosnia represented the biggest problem due to Croatia's former policy which he said divided Bosnia and was "the tail end of (former Yugoslav President, Slobodan) Milosevic's policy." "Neither Republika Srpska nor the Croat Republic Herceg Bosna empowered BH (Bosnia and Herzegovina), but divided and weakened it. Only a stable BH can be a strong economic partner to Croatia," said the President. Speaking about post-Milosevic Serbia, Mesic said Yugoslavia's bigger republic must achieve Croatia's degree of democracy which implies that "Serbia will view Serbs in other countries as a bridge of cooperation and not the motive for new conquests." (hina) ha sb