SAKIC TRIAL OF OUTSTANDING IMPORTANCE FOR CROATIA - SAYS BAER

ZAGREB, May 25 (Hina) - The former president of international Jewish organisation B'nai B'rith, Tommy Baer, on Tuesday spoke to reporters in Zagreb about the importance the trial of war crimes suspect and Croatian World War Two concentration camp commander Dinko Sakic has for Croatia. The Sakic trial is extremely important to prove that an alleged war criminal has been brought to justice, to shed light on the crimes committed in Croatia against innocent persons, to uncover the full nature of the collaborationist Ustashi regime, to take the opportunity and necessity to inform and educate the region's entire population, not only Croats, about the danger of fascism in all its forms, and to show the world that Croatia has in word and deed resolutely distanced itself from its fascist past, Baer said. He told reporters he was in Croatia as the international observer in the Sakic trial, appointed by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman after B'nai B'rith played the principal role in the discovery and extradition of Sakic. Baer said he was well informed about the testimonies given at the Zagreb County Court. Even though he declined to comment on the value of the testimonies, Baer said that, speaking as a former United States federal prosecutor, he believes many are aggravating and condemnatory for Sakic. I fully trust justice will be done, Baer said. Also visiting Croatia is Alan Schneider, director of B'nai B'rith's World Centre in Jerusalem, who attended the Monday testimony of witness Zdenko Schwartz from Israel. Schneider told reporters he was impressed by the way the trial was being conducted and by the great interest the president of the Zagreb County Court had shown in Schwartz's testimony. Speaking of B'nai B'rith's long-standing reputation as a fighter for human rights, Baer said the organisation had decided to reinvestigate the activity of the collaborationist Ustashi regime, which ruled Croatia between 1941 and 1945. That regime was a Nazi Germany partner in killing, Baer said, but stressed both for the Croatian people and the world that the Ustashi regime never included the majority of the Croatian population. Croatia had a strong partisan anti-fascist movement, Baer said, and pointed to the fact that Croats dominated Yugoslav anti-fascist forces. That must be a source of pride for the Croatian people, he asserted. Baer said he hoped Croatian authorities would prevent the repetition of incidents such as the one which occurred in downtown Zagreb two weeks ago when, thus Baer, during the traditional marking of Anti-Fascism Day, groups of neo-fascists attacked a peaceful group of anti-fascists with allegedly passive police performance. Baer said he had been assured by Croatia's justice minister such incidents would not reoccur and in this respect commended Croatia's authorities for launching an investigation aimed at establishing the facts necessary to prosecute those accountable. On behalf of the Jewish communities and individuals in Croatia, Baer pointed to the necessity of addressing the issue of the return of Jewish property confiscated by the Ustashi and in some cases by the Communists. That is not an issue unique to Croatia, he said, but a problem in the greater part of Europe. It is time for the issue to be addressed, discussed and responsibly solved, as has been done by other world governments, Baer concluded. (hina) ha