PRESIDENT MESIC ATTENDS CEREMONY MARKING DAY OF VUKOVAR

VUKOVAR, May 3 (Hina) - The residents of Vukovar on Wednesday marked the Day of Vukovar and its patron saints Philip and Jacob. Today's ceremony in the eastern Croatian town, at which bells on the Church of St. Philip and Jacob rang for the first time after nine years, was also attended by Croatian President Stipe Mesic. In front of the church Mesic met returnees who asked him to help speed up the process of reconstruction and return to the town and help them find out the truth about the fate of missing and imprisoned Croatian soldiers and civilians. During the ceremonial session of the City Council, which he also attended, Mesic offered his best wishes to Vukovar residents on the occasion of the Day of Vukovar, adding he was disappointed that more had not been done in the reconstruction of the town. Rebuilding Vukovar requires solidarity of the entire Croatia, he said, adding tolerance and inter-ethnic dialogue must be strengthened along with reconstruction. "The war happened because the Serbs wanted to live all in one state," Mesic said, adding "the wrong Croatian policy also asserted that all Croats had to live in one state and a tragedy happened." "The policy of changing borders is damaging and untenable," Mesic said, adding peace and tolerance were necessary for Croatia's economic recovery and its admission to the European Union. Croatia has neither internal nor external enemies, but what it does have are people dissatisfied with subsistence problems, he said. In his address to Vukovar residents, the President also commented on a statement by the president of the Association of Croatian Homeland War Invalids (HVIDR), Marinko Liovic, published in today's issue of 'Globus' weekly. Liovic said that should the policy of denying soldiers and war victims their rights and annulling their acquired rights continue, members of the Association would block roads throughout Croatia during the tourist season. Nobody will be allowed to block roads in Croatia any more, Mesic said. "This state has as much funds as it has. If roads are blocked, there will be even less funds. Some people in this country should have that in mind," Mesic said. (hina) mm rml .