PRESIDENT MESIC SPEAKS AGAINST DIVISIONS

PLITVICE, March 31 (Hina) - A celebration organised by a committee appointed by the head of state was held at Plitvice Lakes on Saturday to mark the tenth anniversary of Plitvice '91, the Easter 1991 operation when Croatian police clashed with Serb terrorists. Plitvice '91 claimed the first victim of the Homeland Defence War, Croatia's war of independence from the former Yugoslav federation. His name was Josip Jovic and he was a Croatian policeman.#L# Flowers for all Homeland Defence War victims were placed today on the site of his death. A prayer was said by the military ordinary, Msgr. Juraj Jezerinac. On this occasion, President Mesic decorated the Lucko Anti- Terrorist Unit for participating in Plitvice '91 and the overall contribution to the Homeland Defence War. In his address, the President said: "Today nobody needs to be assured anymore, neither here nor around the world, as to how the war in Croatia began, who started it and with what goal, because everybody knows now that the war had been the option of Slobodan Milosevic and his Greater Serbia policy." "Milosevic started four wars and lost all four. He also lost power and the only thing awaiting him is to account for everything he did. I am certain that he cannot avoid that, just like he didn't avoid the defeat of his demented policy," said Mesic. "We must not allow divisions in Croatia today, like we didn't ten years ago," he asserted, adding "we must resist every attempt to distinguish war veterans by any criteria as yours and ours." "In the name of Croatia, the one we fought for and the one we are now building, here and now I tell those who want to divide us and who want to make the future of the Croatian state dependent on their future, that they will not succeed," said Mesic. "I know that many have cause to be dissatisfied with the current situation in the country, but the first, no matter how small steps forward have been made," he added before concluding "the path Croatia is taking is the right path." Speeches were also made by Defence Minister Jozo Rados and Interior Minister Sime Lucin. Another celebration is being held at Plitvice Lakes, Croatia's largest national park, today. This one has been organised by the Uzdanica '90 association, which includes members of the Lucko Anti- Terrorist Unit. They did not want to participate in the marking organised by Mesic's committee which they said included some generals of the JNA, ex-Yugoslavia's federal army, the Croatian military chief-of-staff Petar Stipetic among them. (hina) ha sb