PROTEST STAGED IN FAZANA AGAINST NEW ACT ON BRIJUNI NATIONAL PARK

FAZANA, July 18 (Hina) - About 300 residents of the Istrian towns of Fazana and Vodnjan on Sunday staged a peaceful protest on the waterfront in Fazana (170 kilometres south-west of Zagreb) against restrictions in fishing and sailing through Fazana Channel as well as in free admission to the islands of Saint Jerolim and Kozada which have been placed since a new act on the National Park of Brijuni came into effect. The protest was organised by the Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS). Present at Sunday's action were IDS President Ivan Jakovcic, Mayor of Rovinj, Lodo Tosic, and other representatives of Istria County. Addressing protesters, Vodnjan Mayor Lidia Delton demanded the opening of "the previous sailing and fishing routes" around Brijuni, as the local populations lives off the sea. Ms. Delton insisted on old toponymy, asking that the islands of Brijuni be re-named as Brioni. A Deputy Mayor of Pula, Mario Quaranta, described the restriction in sailing around Brijuni as "a gross injustice", and claimed that 18 kilometres out of 25 kilometre-long Vodnjan coast, was occupied by uniforms of the army, police and firefighters. The head of the department of local self-government in Istria County, Marino Folo, described patrols carried out by military and police speed boats in this area of the Adriatic as "the occupation of a part of the coast." The President of Istria County's Assembly and an IDS Vice President, Damir Kajin, said no European coast, since the landing of Allies in Normandy, had been so occupied by uniforms like this part of the Istrian coast. He asked for "demilitarisation of this area." In addition, the IDS party proposed amendments on the Brijuni National Park act to the Croatian National Sabor (hina) ms