ZAGREB, May 4 (Hina) - Representatives of Croat emigrants gathered in Zagreb from May 2 to 4 at the eighth annual meeting of the Croat World Congress (HSK) Central Committee to discuss tasks of the organisation, HSK president Simun
Sito Coric said Friday. The Committee also dealt with the present situation in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Coric told a news conference the organisation's chief priority was to connect Croat emigrants with their homeland, stressing the HSK is not satisfied with the attitude of the Croatian government authorities towards Croats living abroad. he added, however, the top echelons of the government did confirm the communication is not satisfactory, and pledged to have this changed. Coric commented on the recent census which was carried out in Croatia and abroad, and asserted the number of Croats living abroad "will, unfortunately, not be authentic", because the census was carried out "in a ver
ZAGREB, May 4 (Hina) - Representatives of Croat emigrants gathered
in Zagreb from May 2 to 4 at the eighth annual meeting of the Croat
World Congress (HSK) Central Committee to discuss tasks of the
organisation, HSK president Simun Sito Coric said Friday.
The Committee also dealt with the present situation in Croatia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Coric told a news conference the organisation's chief priority was
to connect Croat emigrants with their homeland, stressing the HSK
is not satisfied with the attitude of the Croatian government
authorities towards Croats living abroad. he added, however, the
top echelons of the government did confirm the communication is not
satisfactory, and pledged to have this changed.
Coric commented on the recent census which was carried out in
Croatia and abroad, and asserted the number of Croats living abroad
"will, unfortunately, not be authentic", because the census was
carried out "in a very sloppy manner". There are, he said, entire
counties in which not one registrant arrived, alluding at a
criticism against the Croatian Foreign Ministry.
As regards the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the HSK is
unanimous in the stance that "we cannot close on, but cooperate with
the international community". He called "and plead with those who
are illegitimately and illegally in power to step down".
"The Congress is asking for elections to be held in Bosnia-
Herzegovina as soon as possible," Coric said, dropping accusations
at the international community for behaving "in a colonial manner"
towards Bosnia, and especially decried acts towards the
Herzegovacka Bank in Mostar.
The Congress appealed on the international community to "respect
the basic norms of dignity", and on the Croatian government
authorities "not to concede to everything the international
community is doing".
The Croat World Congress boasts 29 national congresses from 29
countries around the world in which Croat emigrants live, with the
OUN as a non-government member organisation.
Erika Hautmann, a German humanitarian who helped many valuable
reconstruction projects in Bosnia and Croatia with a million German
marks, was presented with a certificate of gratitude.
(hina) lml sb