BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH

BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 3278 HINA Zagreb, May 29, 1999 CROATIA CELEBRATES STATEHOOD DAY ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - Croatians celebrate Statehood Day on 30 May, the day on which nine years ago the Croatian National Sabor, consisting of members elected at the first multi-party democratic election, held its constituent session. At the end of 1990 the Sabor promulgated the so-called Christmas Constitution, in which the wish of the Croatian people to have its own independent state was expressed clearly. Croatians confirmed that wish at the May referendum of 1990. From the first day the new democratic government was endangered by opponents of Croatia's independence - dogmatic-communist, Yugoslav-centralist and Great-Serbian hegemonistic forces which helped organise the so-called 'log revolution' of local Serbs in Knin (central Croatia). When Serbs took up arms in August 1990, the then Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) sided with them openly. The first victim of the Great-Serbian aggression against the country was a Croatian policeman, Josip Jovic, who was killed at Easter 1991 when a group of Croatian policemen was ambushed by Serb insurgents in the Plitvice Lakes area (central Croatia). In June 1991 Croatia adopted a Defence Act as the basis for the establishment of its armed forces. Although Croatian soldiers did not have enough arms, they put up strong resistance and surprised not only the aggressor but also the international community with their courage and persistence in the struggle for an independent, sovereign Croatia. On 8 October 1991, the Sabor confirmed its decision from June of the same year on severing all state and legal relations with the then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). On 25 June 1991, the Sabor adopted the first acts on the independent and sovereign Republic of Croatia - a Constitutional Decision on the Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic of Croatia and a Declaration on the matter - in line with results of the referendum. The international community, which used not to favour the independence of the country, proposed then a three-month moratorium on those acts. That is why the Sabor could confirm them in October. Croatia was internationally recognised on 15 January 1992, and received the status of a United Nations member-state on 22 May the same year. The heroic conduct of Croatia's soldiers forced Great-Serbia's advocates to retreat and the international community to step up efforts aimed at achieving a truce. After the Sarajevo agreement on an unconditional cease-fire, reached in January 1991, in the following month the UN Security Council passed a resolution on the deployment of peace-keeping forces in Croatia. UN troops remained in Croatia with different mandates until the completion of the peaceful reintegration of eastern Slavonia in January 1998. As UN peace-keepers were unable to reintegrate Croatia's occupied areas, in May and August 1995 Croatia launched two military and police operations "Flash" and "Storm" which finally liberated most of the areas under Serb rebels' control. At the end of 1995 the Erdut agreement on the process of peaceful reintegration of the remaining occupied swathe of Croatian territory, i.e the Croatian Danube River area, was concluded. The country's leadership also made efforts to establish a stable economic system. In October 1993, the Government adopted a stabilisation programme to address inflation, which was the precondition for the introduction of the national currency, kuna, on 30 May 1994. Upon gaining its independence, Croatia was given the status of an associate member of the Council of Europe, and became a full Council of Europe member in November 1996, after fulfilling the necessary conditions. Croatia's bids to be included into Euro-Atlantic institutions can bring results in 1999 if the country is admitted into the Partnership for Peace programme and the World Trade Organisation by the end of this year. BOZANIC: CROATIA NEEDS NEW VISIONS, NEW PROGRAMMES AND UNITY ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - On the occasion of Statehood Day, Archbishop of Zagreb, Msgr. Josip Bozanic, said Mass in St Mark's Church in downtown Zagreb on Saturday. Present at the service for the Homeland were Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman and many other high officials. During his sermon Archbishop Bozanic recalled his message for this year's Lent. The State is not an end in itself, its purpose is to serve people and citizens as well as be a powerful instrument for facilitating peace in our restive areas. The State should serve in the protection of freedom, the development of social virtues and overall prosperity, Bozanic told the gathered. He conveyed the concern of the Roman Catholic Church in Croatia over the increasingly difficult economic circumstances in which most people are living. "Many cannot reach a normal standard of living. The youth, particularly those who finished school or university education, cannot find a job," he stressed. The Archbishop of Zagreb warned that the public morals were in a deep crisis. Instances of those who go to work but do not receive earned salaries as well as those who claim that nothing can be achieved without bribe, should prompt all, particularly those responsible, to make a thorough analysis of social relations as well as to examine the conscience in the field of ownership, the acquisition of property during the privatisation, and relations and responsibilities toward work and work efficiency, and generally, to examine our endeavours in the social ethics," Bozanic said. He pointed to the great danger of despondency due to reports on embezzlement, economic scandals, covering up of failures and larceny at the cost of everybody. "But it is faceless, as if there were no responsibility for committed acts," Bozanic said wondering whether certain laws were to be blamed for the existing economic and social situation or, perhaps, it was due to a lack of necessary supervision. The Catholic dignitary believes Croatia needs new visions and new programmes. What we need is the courage and resoluteness of the responsible persons as well as the consistence in the enforcement of law in all cases, but above all, we need harmony and joint endeavours, he said. After the service, a short meeting was held between the Church's dignitaries and state officials in the sacristy. PRESIDENT TUDJMAN TAKES WALK IN CENTRAL ZAGREB SQUARE ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - After attending Mass for the Homeland in Zagreb's Church of St. Mark on Saturday, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman went for a walk in the main Ban Jelacic Square. He was accompanied by his wife Ankica and associates. Statehood Day is the most important holiday in Croatia, a symbol of establishment of the Croatian state, freedom and democracy, President Tudjman said. "It is necessary to develop in every citizen the awareness that the fate of the whole nation depends on us alone", he added. The President called for the unity of all Croatian citizens with the aim of preserving the economic stability and the state's independence. There is no reason for concern because the state is still pulling the strings, he added. This year's celebrations of Statehood Day are moderate so that an example could be set for all citizens regarding the need for saving. "Being aware of their victory, but also of the problems of the Croatian state, the Croatian people can be certain of a better future", Tudjman said. During the walk, President Tudjman often stopped for a short conversation with citizens who approached him. MACEDONIA'S TOP OFFICIALS WISH BEST FOR CROATIA'S STATEHOOD DAY SKOPJE, May 29 (Hina) - On the occasion of Croatia's Statehood Day, Macedonia's President Kiro Gligorov, Prime Minister Ljupco Georgievski and Foreign Minister Aleksandar Dimitrov forwarded messages with best wishes to Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman, Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa and Foreign Minister Mate Granic. The Macedonian officials expressed satisfaction with the level of development of the Croatian-Macedonian relations and hope that the relations would further be promoted in the spirit of traditional friendship between Skoplje and Zagreb. The Croatian Embassy in the Macedonian capital gave a party on Thursday night to mark the Croatian Statehood Day. HUNGARIAN CROATS MARK STATEHOOD DAY BUDAPEST, May 29 (Hina) - Croatia's Embassy in Budapest and the Croatian minority self-government in Hungary organised a concert of a famous Croatian folk group, Lado, on Friday evening, to mark Croatia's Statehood Day. On behalf of the organisers, Croatian Ambassador Zdenko Skrabalo held a speech and introduced the Lado ensemble to the audience. Present at the event were Croatia's Embassy staff, led by Ambassador Skrabalo, diplomats accredited in Hungary, Hungarian politicians and other public figures. MATESA: CROATIA IS A SAFE AND HOSPITABLE COUNTRY KORCULA/DUBROVNIK, May 29 (Hina) - Croatia's internal and foreign policy is based on the political and economic security, and participants in a seven-day first world cup in sailing of television and radio reporters could see that Croatia is a safe country, said Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa on Saturday. In the current unfavourable times for Croatia's tourism, due to the Kosovo crisis, this regatta will contribute to the promotion of Croatia and show foreign correspondents that the country is safe and hospitable, Matesa told a news conference of about 250 foreign and domestic journalists, held aboard the 'Marco Polo' ship sailing between Korcula and Dubrovnik. Croatia is a stable country and capable of solving its problems, Matesa said adding the Government had made great efforts in recent years to achieve economic goals. The annual Gross Domestic Product growth rate was six per cent, whereas the inflation rate was about four percent. In the field of tourism, modern telecommunications technology has been introduced and airports reconstructed. In the coming years we are to build 30 seaports and marinas on islands, the Prime Minister said, adding that by 2004 Croatia's north and south should be linked by new motorways. Croatian Tourism Minister Ivan Herak told the reporters about privileges for boaters who wish to spend holidays in Croatia. He mentioned a recent decision of his ministry to cut the annual fee for using a berth from 400 kuna (57 dollars) to 200 kuna (28 dollars). It is now up to the Government to confirm this decision. Herak added that Croatia was making additional efforts in order to return among the most important tourist destinations on the Mediterranean. In this respect, the environmental protection of Croatia's part of the Adriatic is important and the country is to allocate more than US$400 million for this purpose, Herak said. Asked about the unsealing of the International War Crimes Tribunal's indictment against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, Matesa said Croatia's was not in the position to comment on the Tribunal's work, but he expressed regret at the fact that there was no mention in the indictment of the shelling of Zagreb and the destruction of Vukovar. CROATIA IS SAFE TOURIST DESTINATION - SFOR'S GENERAL POLLE ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - Croatia's Adriatic coast is a safe tourist destination despite NATO strikes against neighbouring Yugoslavia, the commander of NATO's Stabilisation Force's Liaison Office in Croatia, a Dutch General Fritz Polle, said in Zagreb on Friday. General Polle yesterday held a farewell working meeting with Tomislav Vidosevic, an advisor to the Croatian Premier and head of the Office for Cooperation with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The war is far from Dalmatia and Croatia, Polle told reporters after the meeting. He expressed hope that people would realise that Croatia was indeed a safe and nice place for vacationing. The general himself saw the coastal beauties while visiting the ports of Split, Ploce, and Dubrovnik. WRITERS FROM EUROPE, AFRICA AND AMERICAS GATHER IN ZAGREB ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - The 22nd international gathering of writers began in Zagreb on Saturday and will last until May 31. The main topic of this year's meeting is "Writers in Anticipation of the Third Millennium". A special guest of the Zagreb event, a Chilean artist of Croatian origins, Antonio Skarmeta, welcomed the participants at the opening ceremony. Recalling that Slavko Mihalic established this gathering in 1966, the head of the Croatian Writers' Society (DHK), Ante Stamac, said about thousand men of letters from Europe and other continents had already taken part in this event, which is held every year. The gathering was organised by the DHK and the society of literary translators, and is held under the sponsorship of Croatia's Culture Ministry. THIS BULLETIN INCLUDES ITEMS RELEASED BY 22:00 HRS SATURDAY