PREMANTURA, Oct 14 (Hina) - A local branch of the Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS) on Saturday staged a rally at the entrance to Cape Kamenjak (the southernmost tip of Istria) protesting against a military exercise in the listed
Kamenjak park. During the rally, the IDS Secretary-General and a MP, Valter Drandic, asked the Government and the Croatian Armed Forces' Supreme Commander, President Stjepan Mesic, to decide that this exercise be the last one on Cape Kamenjak, which would show that state authorities' attitude have been changed towards citizens of Istria and Croatia. Croatian and Slovene Air Force units are conducting the exercise from 5 to 21 October. Some ten days ago IDS members in Pula expressed indignation at announcements that Croatia's and Slovenia's Air Forces would perform a joint military show in Premantura, i.e the listed park of Kamenjak Cape. Kamenjak is unique thanks to its
PREMANTURA, Oct 14 (Hina) - A local branch of the Istrian Democratic
Alliance (IDS) on Saturday staged a rally at the entrance to Cape
Kamenjak (the southernmost tip of Istria) protesting against a
military exercise in the listed Kamenjak park.
During the rally, the IDS Secretary-General and a MP, Valter
Drandic, asked the Government and the Croatian Armed Forces'
Supreme Commander, President Stjepan Mesic, to decide that this
exercise be the last one on Cape Kamenjak, which would show that
state authorities' attitude have been changed towards citizens of
Istria and Croatia.
Croatian and Slovene Air Force units are conducting the exercise
from 5 to 21 October.
Some ten days ago IDS members in Pula expressed indignation at
announcements that Croatia's and Slovenia's Air Forces would
perform a joint military show in Premantura, i.e the listed park of
Kamenjak Cape.
Kamenjak is unique thanks to its paleonthological and botanical
characteristics. German environmentalists compare it with the
Amazon, said Ivica Matosevic, the head of the county institution
"Natura Histrica" on that occasion. If the cape retains to be
military testing ground, this will badly affect tourism in the
municipality of Medulin, the municipal head Dario Mezulic
complained then.
Drandic said today that citizens of the region warned in a peaceful
and dignified manner against something what "has been going on in
the militarised Istria for 150 years where the military interests
have always been stronger than civil ones."
Drandic said the future of this biggest Croatian peninsula lay in
tourism, but tourism and army could not go together.
Local authorities told the rally they had never been happy about the
fact that military exercises were taking place in this part of
Istria, but in the past they had to keep silent and were not allowed
to protest against such things.
A head of the military exercise, Major Ivan Tomic, received some 200
protesters at the check-point at the entrance and invited them to
visit the testing ground in order to see that the army did not damage
the environment during its practice.
Besides Saturday's rally, a petition against the performance of
military manoeuvres on Cape Kamenjak has been signed by 2,000
locals in three days.
(hina) ms