SERB MP WRITES TO DEFENCE MINISTER ON SERBS' MILITARY SERVICE ISSUE

ZAGREB, Aug 24 (Hina) - The Croatian Serb community's representative in parliament, Veselin Pejnovic, on Tuesday forwarded a letter to Croatian Defence Minister Pavao Miljavac relative to military service for Serbs in the Danube River Region in eastern Croatia. A series of recent articles has brought the matter to the lowest level of politicisation, Pejnovic says in the letter, adding an attempt is again being made to use the Serb people as a media and political means of "enforcing democracy". Reminding that Minister Miljavac in talks with international representatives stressed the military service issue could be solved in line with a possible "political decision", Pejnovic concludes in the letter that Miljavac is waiting for the "political decision", and not for the application of the Constitution or legislation. To avoid negative connotations and further abuse of the Serbs' so called "privileged position", Pejnovic suggested that the defence minister prepare and pass before the government an appropriate decree which would solve the military service issue for Croatian citizens of Serb nationality for the possible duration of the decree, namely one year. The decree would simultaneously be submitted to parliament for verification. Thus, Pejnovic says in the letter, instead of "political decisions", a legitimate procedure would be applied, legality confirmed, and some of the arguments for further political abuse of Serbs in Croatia eliminated. Expressing hope that his proposal will be accepted, Pejnovic announced that in the contrary, he will be forced to forward into parliamentary procedure a bill that would include the military service issue for all "Croatian residents and citizens in Croatia (and the Danube River Region)." (hina) ha