CRO WAR VETERANS' ASSOCIATION HOLDS ASSEMBLY

VINKOVCI, 16 Sept (Hina) - The Association of Croatian Homeland War Veterans (UHVDR) held its third assembly and adopted a set of conclusions in Vinkovci on Friday. In the conclusions, the veterans stress their grave concern about the "proven insensitivity of Croatian authorities and politicians toward increasingly frequent attempts at the criminalisation of the Homeland War and the creation of a negative media image of the Homeland War and Croatian soldiers." "We shall do our best to oppose with all allowed political means any further attempt aimed at criminalising the Homeland War," the veterans said, expressing support for soldiers and the Split and Lika-Senj counties' headquarters for the protection of dignity of the Homeland War. The association demands that "the spectacular arrests of Homeland War participants cease immediately and the apprehended soldiers be granted probation before judgement." The veterans also asked the parliament to financially support war veterans' centres as non-governmental institutions. They also negatively assessed the latest bill on the rights of Croatian soldiers, warning the War Veterans' Ministry did not serve its purpose. The assembly supported the decision by the World Veterans' Federation to establish an international institute for psycho- social consequences of the war in Croatia. The government has been urged to "inform the public about the activities launched so far in processing war crimes committed by the aggressor against Croatia." The assembly resolutely dismissed claims that the Croatian army had committed organised war crimes during the Homeland War. Commenting on this week's arrests in Gospic of war crimes suspects, the assembly said it would ask the Interior Ministry to state if regulations from the criminal procedure and the civil rights of the apprehended persons had been violated during the arrests. In a discussion which preceded the adoption of the conclusions, the participants were greeted by Lieutenant General Imra Agotic, advisor on military issues and defence to Croatian President Stipe Mesic. Agotic conveyed Mesic's support for the assembly. "We have made efforts to earn the privilege to have our own state and given that we now have that privilege, we should let the state do its job," Agotic said adding no structures of authority in Croatia intended to adopt solutions which would be contrary to the interests of Homeland War participants. The veterans were also addressed by the secretary-general of the World Veterans' Federation, Marek Hagmajer. "Croatia cannot be proud tomorrow if someone should take away the values of the Homeland War from this people," parliament vice- president Zdravko Tomac said, adding there were still people who did not want this, but such people had to be opposed. All those who committed crimes should be held accountable, Tomac said calling for cooperation and dialogue. The chairwoman of the parliamentary committee on internal policy and national security, Djurdja Adlesic, also addressed the gathering, urging dialogue. MP Jadranka Kosor of the opposition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said that all those who committed crimes had to answer for them, however, the criminalisation of the Homeland War and the equating of the victim and the aggressor had to stop as well. Her statement was welcomed by the assembly. UHVDR mostly objected that the highest state officials were giving dangerous statements lightly. (hina) rml