GOVERNMENT MUST NOT EXTRADITE GENERALS -- LIOVIC, CONDIC

MAKARSKA, July 5 (Hina) - At today's joint news conference, president of the Croatian association of Homeland Defence War invalids (HVIDRA), Marinko Liovic, and president of the centre of the protection of the Homeland Defence War dignity, Mirko Condic, said the Croatian government must not extradite Croatian generals to the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, which, often equalising the victim and the aggressor, justify the mistakes of the international community which is washing its hands off everything it was supposed to do, but didn't back in 1991. Condic and Liovic announced that they will "defend generals and war heroes and provide them with possible protection by all appropriate democratic means if necessary or of The Hague asks for their extradition". Announcements about sealed indictments and the need for trials of Croatian officers demean all Croatian veterans, so HVIDRA will hold conferences and talks with citizens in all 20 counties to inform them about the intentions of the government which, Liovic asserted, provides no security for Croatian defence war soldiers or their families. "The government is ignoring the 400,000 signatures on the referendum on the persecution of Croatian Homeland Defence War soldiers and is forgetting the 15,500 people killed and 30,000 people left as invalids, thus negating the values of the Homeland Defence War, which the veterans will not allow," Condic stressed. (hina) lml