GEN. DECAK RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT OF UHVDR

ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - General Djuro Decak was re-elected as the president of the Association of the Croatian Homeland War Veterans (UHVDR) at the end of the second electoral convention of this organisation in Zagreb on Saturday. Present at the convention were 162 deputies from the whole of Croatia and guests including Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's envoy, Lieutenant-General Ante Gotovina, senior Croatian officials and guest from abroad. Addressing the event, Gen. Ante Gotovina said armed forces of the Croatian people carried out their liberation operations and they were in compliance with the international law of war. Being a commander in the Homeland War and a general of the Croatian Army (HV), I can state with responsibility that the HV committed no war crime, he stressed adding that the Croatian Army could not be held accountable for individual cases. General Gotovina said dozens of individual perpetrators had been under investigations initiated by Croatian authorities following the 1995 liberation operations "Flash" and "Storm". Speaking at the convention, the re-elected president of the Association, General Djuro Decak stressed that the international community including the Hague-based International War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) should be acquainted with the historical facts why and how the Homeland War had been waged, and in this way the smallest legal reason for any indictment against any Croatian general, officer or soldier, would be removed. (hina) ms