HDZ MARKS SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF TUDJMAN'S DEATH

ZAGREB, Dec 9 (Hina) - The president of the strongest opposition party, the Croatian Democratic union (HDZ), said on Sunday the incumbent authorities should apologise to the late Franjo Tudjman for all the insults and imputations levelled at him over the past two years. At a commemorative session marking the second anniversary of the death of Croatia's first president and founder of the HDZ, Ivo Sanader said "the unsparing criticism of Tudjman shows the dilettantism of this government," which he described as "only a temporary experiment, whereas Tudjman's work is permanent." "There is no need for a historical distance to make a final judgement of Tudjman's work as Tudjman is a great man and the biggest politician in Croatian history," said Sanader. The lies and historical forgeries made to diminish Tudjman's role in the creation and defence of the Croatian state were futile, he asserted, reminding Tudjman's policy focused on the full affirmation of the Croatian people, while his programme included the reconciliation of all Croats and the unity of Croatia at home and abroad. "We mustn't allow the return of the communist rule we defeated in 1990," said Sanader, vehemently slamming what he described the hasty adoption of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union. He told the incumbent authorities the policy of purging and settling accounts with Tudjman and the HDZ was the most dangerous for Croatia's future as it deepened the rifts among the population. The HDZ president maintains the military and the police were experiencing increasing uncertainty and fear of layoffs, and that some Croatian government employees abroad treated the Diaspora the way ex-Yugoslav diplomats did in the past. No representatives of the ruling coalition attended the Tudjman commemoration. (hina) ha