MONDAY NIGHT 'LATINICA' SHOW MEETS WITH NEGATIVE REACTIONS

ZAGREB, Oct 2 (Hina) - Bozidar Knezevic's documentary "Storm Over Krajina", on crimes committed against ethnic Serbs and their property during the 1995 Croatian liberation operation 'Storm', shown in the Croatian Television (HTV) show 'Latinica' on Monday night, has stirred up some negative reactions, including requests to replace Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) director Mirko Galic and the author of the show, Denis Latin. The show focused on whether the Croatian judiciary should process all crimes regardless of who perpetrated them. Last night's "Latinica" was based on scandalous stands about the Homeland War and aims to discourage Croatian soldiers and weaken the power and will of the Croatian people to defend state interests, primarily national security, reads a statement issued by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). The political goal of the entire show was to tendentiously equate guilt between the aggressor and the victim, with the ultimate goal of relieving of responsibility those who started the war, says the party, requesting that HRT director Galic and Latinica editor-in- chief and anchor Latin resign. The party urges citizens not to pay TV subscription "until those responsible for spreading lies, hatred and humiliation have resigned." The Association for the Protection of Homeland War Values (HONOS) believes the documentary is a "disgraceful forgery of the truth about the Homeland War." To identify "Storm" with individual crimes which occurred on the margins of the operation and which have been prosecuted by Croatian courts, and to do this by ignoring the real historical and political context and cause-and-effect relations, is the most overt deception of the Croatian public, obviously intended to negate the difference between the victim and the aggressor and the fact that the Serb aggressor has killed 20,000 Croatian citizens in the war, of whom one half were civilians, including more than 300 children, reads a statement the association issued today. Representatives of Homeland War soldiers from Petrinja condemned the show at a press conference today. Their leader Mario Marot said the army of the "Serb Krajina" had driven with tanks and armoured vehicles over columns of Serbs leaving Croatia during "Storm". There is only one truth about the Homeland War: there were members of Croatian armed forces who committed criminal acts during the liberation operations, but Croatian courts have reached more than 1,700 verdicts for killings, looting and arson, he said. Marot added Croatian soldiers had treated Serb civilians who stayed in their homes in the Banovina region in an honourable and dignified manner. The association said the HTV show continued the criminalisation of Croatian soldiers and the entire Homeland War as the fundamental values of present-day Croatia. Commenting on the criticisms, the film's author, Bozidar Knezevic, said he had made a "film about the events from the Homeland War that the HTV kept silent about." "The film can neither deny nor give legitimacy to the Homeland War and it would not have been made had the HTV not kept silent about events which were unpleasant for the former authorities. HDZ had great influence on the HTV in the past decade which is why the HTV was not a public but the HDZ's propaganda service. It was because of their omissions that I made the film," Knezevic said. (hina) sb rml