ZAGREB, May 21 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday in Zagreb, received the ambassadors of the G-8 countries, the European Troika, the National Republic of China and the Vatican, the president's office reported. During
the meeting, the statement notes, President Tudjman and Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa reported that since the beginning of NATO air-strikes against Yugoslavia, Croatia has suffered damages to its economy amounting to over US$2 billion. Any further continuation of the crisis could cause damages up to between US$5 and 6 billion. Croatia offered its support to NATO efforts and the international community and it is in Croatia's interest to urgently find an acceptable solution to the Kosovo crisis and for an end to war dealings. As such, Tudjman offered his own thoughts and recommendations with the aim of assisting international factors in their attempt to find a solution which would be
ZAGREB, May 21 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday
in Zagreb, received the ambassadors of the G-8 countries, the
European Troika, the National Republic of China and the Vatican,
the president's office reported.
During the meeting, the statement notes, President Tudjman and
Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa reported that since the beginning of
NATO air-strikes against Yugoslavia, Croatia has suffered damages
to its economy amounting to over US$2 billion. Any further
continuation of the crisis could cause damages up to between US$5
and 6 billion.
Croatia offered its support to NATO efforts and the international
community and it is in Croatia's interest to urgently find an
acceptable solution to the Kosovo crisis and for an end to war
dealings. As such, Tudjman offered his own thoughts and
recommendations with the aim of assisting international factors in
their attempt to find a solution which would be acceptable to all
sides.
In the widest conceptions held by the Serb people, as President
Tudjman put it, Kosovo represents the cradle of the Serb state and
nation and where numerous monuments and monasteries can be found.
Due to the Kosovo Battle, an irrational national feeling has
developed which was often called upon by the highest of Serb
officials during the talks in Geneva held within the framework of
the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, the
statement says.
These national feelings inspired the Serb aggression against
Bosnia-Herzegovina and of the evaluations of the so-called
demographic threat posed by Kosovo Albanians, Tudjman said.
He added that the elements noted should be kept in mind even though
these do not justify the politics and atrocities which have been
committed by Milosevic's rule and which should be assigned with the
harshest international condemnation, the statement continues.
Despite this, if a solution to the Kosovo crisis is to be found,
regardless of whether Milosevic remains at the head of Yugoslavia
or not, the international community must remain adamant to find an
acceptable solution which will ensure that the conditions posed by
NATO and the G-8 are fulfilled and Croatia supports the efforts
being made by international mediators in this regard, says the
statement.
With that, founded on available knowledge, a possible solution to
the Kosovo crisis could be foreseen in the complete withdrawal of
all Serb forces and Yugoslav army units to the northern section of
Kosovo. At this point, peace could be ensured by UN peace forces
consisting of international military formations, most likely from
the Russian Federation, President Tudjman said.
International military forces could be deployed to the remaining
sections of Kosovo enabling the return of refugees. This model
could create the necessary preconditions for the end of the current
crisis and at the same time it would prevent the further eruption of
new tension and conflicts in the future.
As part of the international community and a country in the
immediate vicinity, Croatia is especially interested in ending the
war conflicts which have caused huge economic damages to a series of
countries as well as approaching initiatives which, following the
century long Balkan crisis and Serb aggression against Croatia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina, could finally begin the process of
stabilisation in this section of Europe.
The meeting was attended by Apostolic Nuncio Giulio Einaudi, French
Ambassador Jean-Jacques Gaillarde, German Ambassador Volker Haak,
Austrian Ambassador Rudolf Bogner, Chinese Ambassador Li Guobang,
Great Britain's Ambassador Colin Munro, US Ambassador William
Montgomery, Italian Ambassador Fabio Pigliapoco, Russian
Federation Ambassador Eduard Kuzmin and Finish Charge-d'affaires
Kai Sauer.
The G-8 ambassadors commended Croatia's attitude in the Kosovo
crisis, and the ambassadors are to inform their respective
government's of the contents of today's meeting, the statement
said.
In addition to the president, the meeting was attended by Prime
Minister Matesa, the president's chief-of-staff Ivica Kostovic,
Deputy Prime Ministers Mate Granic and Ljerka Mintas Hodak,
presidential advisors Vesna Skare Ozbolt, Ivic Pasalic, Neven
Madey and Markica Rebic, the head of the President's Cabinet,
Gordan Radin and assistant Foreign Minister Vladimir Drobnjak.
(hina) sp