CRO AMBASSADOR IN LONDON COUNTERS 'FINANCIAL TIMES' ALLEGATIONS

LONDON, Oct 26 (Hina) - Great Britain's leading business paper, Financial Times, on Tuesday ran a letter by Croatia's Ambassador in London Andrija Kojakovic, which corrected some wrong statements on the alleged obstruction of the return of Serb refugees to Croatia. In a letter to the editor, Kojakovic refuted claims by Financial Times journalists Irena Guzelova and David Buchan who stated that Croatia allegedly was refusing to welcome Serbs exiled in 1995. The Croatian ambassador pointed out Croatia was implementing a national programme for the return and acceptance of displaced persons, refugees, and exiled persons. Kojakovic said that until 7 September, 34,006 Serbs had returned to Croatia from Yugoslavia and the Bosnian Serb entity, and 26,348 exiled Serbs had returned from the Danube River Region in eastern Croatia to other parts of the country. The ambassador pointed out the return of exiled persons was a two-way procedure in which 41,000 Croats were waiting to return to their pre-war homes in eastern Croatia. Another letter by Kojakovic, which refuted insinuations that present-day Croatia nurtured Nazi ideas and insignia, was published in another British daily, The Independent, on 15 October. Adam LeBor, who also writes for The Independent as well as for Toronto-based daily Globe and Mail and London-based weekly Jewish Chronicle, on 5 October wrote an article about the Croatian trial of Croatian World War Two concentration camp commander Dinko Sakic. LeBor depicted Croatia as a state which had long been accused of deriving inspiration from its war predecessor, the 1941-1945 Independent State of Croatia. To coroborate his claims, LeBor mentioned the Croatian coat-of-arms and currency - the kuna. Ambassador Kojakovic said in his letter the Croatian coat-of-arms was a historical, national coat-of-arms in Croats, which had been used not only in the Middle Ages, but was the central symbol of the former Socialist Republic of Croatia - the predecessor of present- day Republic of Croatia. With reference to the name of Croatia's currency, the kuna (marten), Kojakovic said the marten's skin had been used for paying taxes, and explained Croatian coins throughout history had been embossed with the symbol of the marten. In the past, the British dailies generally accepted Croatian Embassy remarks about incorrect statements made in reporting on Croatia. In March, some British papers wrongly reported that flights to Croatia had been cancelled during NATO's strikes against Yugoslavia. The London-based The Times published a correction, while the editor of The Daily Telegraph forwarded a written apology to Croatia's Ambassador. (hina) ha jn