DECLARATION ON COOPERATION SIGNED IN SPLIT

SPLIT, Aug 31 (Hina) - A declaration on cooperation was signed in the southern seaport of Split on Friday. The declaration was signed by representatives of the Split branch of the HVIDR-a, an association of disabled war veterans, the Brodosplit shipyard's war veterans' association, the Centre for Veterans and their Families, the Brodosplit independent union, the Split-Dalmatia County police independent union, the Croatian Initiative Berlin, and the Croatian People's Assembly. The signatories told reporters the declaration was based "on principles of preservation of the survival of the Croatian state, the protection of the dignity of the Homeland War, the protection of the rights of war veterans, workers, farmers, and fishermen, the protection of the rights of Croatian emigrants, the protection of the equality of Croats throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina." Croatian authorities are expected to protect national interests and not implement the "dictate" of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other international institutions working in the interests of the world's centres of power, it was said. The signatories asserted the disparagement of war veterans, the persecution of war heroes, and allowing to equate the aggressor and the victim in the 1990s war undermined Croatia's foundations for which, they said, many young Croats had given their lives. They called on all Croatian citizens in, what they called, this difficult moment of deep national and economic crisis to invest efforts to achieve the ideals the Croatian people had set itself in 1990. The signatories support all requests and initiatives of the national headquarters for the protection of the dignity of the Homeland War. (hina) ha sb