PRESIDENT MESIC RECEIVES REPS OF HOMELAND WAR ASSOCIATIONS

ZAGREB, June 26 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic on Monday received representatives of about 10 Homeland War associations. Also present at the meeting were Defence Minister Jozo Rados, Homeland War Soldiers' Minister Ivica Pancic, president of the Sabor's committee for foreign policy and national security Djurdja Aldesic, and President's advisors Igor Dekanic and Imra Agotic. President Mesic told reporters after the talks that representatives of the associations were sincere. "Those people presented their problems aware of Croatia's standing and of its problems, as well as of problems of our economy", Mesic said. Everyone knows which are objective circumstances that obstruct the easy solving of their financial problems, the President added. "We informed the President of our problems, and presented him with a demand of the Croatian Homeland War Veterans Association (HVIDR) from Virovitica-Podravina County for the relieving Homeland War Minister Ivica Pancic from his duty", said president of the HVIDR Executive Committee Ivica Perkovic and said they would stage a protest unless this was implemented by Thursday. Minister Panicic said that everybody in the Ministry was aware that the revision of the disability benefits was an unrewarding duty and that there would be people who will object the process using all means. He said that the exposure of this issue in media resulted in a dangerous simplification of the term "fake invalids". Pancic stressed that this was abused by those who opposed the revision. According to him, they are not "fake invalids", but persons who illegally gained some rights. The Minister of Homeland War Soldiers said he can only apologise to unemployed Homeland War soldiers, because they are socially threaten the most. The old authority did everything that those persons stay unemployed, and the new one could not fix the problem significantly, said Pancic. True victims have nothing to fear, said Minister Pancic. (hina) it mm