VUKOVAR TOWN COUNCIL RENAMES STREETS WITHOUT SERB COUNCILLORS

VUKOVAR, Oct 25 (Hina) - The Vukovar Town Council on Thursday reached a decision on renaming 116 streets in the eastern-most town, thus completing the process of renaming some 220 streets. The decision was made with a majority vote and without the councillors of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS). At the beginning of today's session, the SDSS requested introducing in the new statute a regulation on the equal use of the Croatian language and the Latin script and the Serb language and the Cyrillic script, which was turned down by a majority vote. The council also turned down an SDSS draft amendment to put the Serb minority's flag and hymn into official use in Vukovar, and another to grant national minorities the right to representation in executive bodies of local self-government and organisations set up by the town in proportion to their share in the town's population. The council's majority also refused to take the renaming of streets off the agenda. The SDSS walked out of the session and issued a statement saying that only the names of "figures and events exclusively from the history of the Croatian people and Catholic provenance (were chosen for the names of Vukovar's streets), which not only neglects but in an insulting fashion fails to acknowledge the national and religious feelings of other national minorities and religious communities in Vukovar." The Vukovar Town Council comprises ten councillors of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), eight of the SDSS, three of the Party of Rights (HSP), and two each of the Democratic Centre (DC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The town is ruled by the HDZ/HSP/DC coalition. (hina) ha sb