ZAGREB, Dec 11 (Hina) - On Friday, some time after 11pm, we lost the president of all Croatians, a president who dedicated his entire life to the idea of creating the Croatian state and who was granted by God to live to see the
realisation of his vision, his idea, Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa said on Saturday morning after a session of the Presidency of the Croatian National Parliament and close Cabinet of the Government. Due to illness Croatian President Franjo Tudjman died during the night between December 10 and 11, 1999 in Croatia's Dubrava hospital. President Tudjman, Matesa said, was not only a great statesman and politician, but also a humanist. He was a father and grandfather, there will not be such a person in Croatia for a long time. I am convinced of this and it is difficult to say anything at this moment, he added. The creator of the modern Croatian state has died, a man whose vision has
ZAGREB, Dec 11 (Hina) - On Friday, some time after 11pm, we lost the
president of all Croatians, a president who dedicated his entire
life to the idea of creating the Croatian state and who was granted
by God to live to see the realisation of his vision, his idea,
Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa said on Saturday morning
after a session of the Presidency of the Croatian National
Parliament and close Cabinet of the Government.
Due to illness Croatian President Franjo Tudjman died during the
night between December 10 and 11, 1999 in Croatia's Dubrava
hospital.
President Tudjman, Matesa said, was not only a great statesman and
politician, but also a humanist. He was a father and grandfather,
there will not be such a person in Croatia for a long time. I am
convinced of this and it is difficult to say anything at this
moment, he added.
The creator of the modern Croatian state has died, a man whose
vision has come true, a man who brought Croatia on the threshold of
European associations, vice-president Mate Granic said.
A modern, sovereign, territorially whole, democratic Croatian
state was created, and it is our responsibility to continue on
Tudjman's path, Granic said.
"It is especially difficult for me because I spent the past day with
the President and I even heard some of his messages," President's
Chief-of-Staff Ivica Kostovic said.
Our main task now is to bid farewell to President Tudjman with as
much dignity as possible, Kostovic said.
Although the President had been ill, this moment is still
exceptionally difficult and shocking for all of us, vice-premier
Ljerka Mintas Hodak said.
We need to pay tribute to President Tudjman with dignity and
continue realising his idea. His spirit has to remain in the party
and continue to create a country as the President always wanted, she
said.
In the spirit of Tudjman's policy, we must go on, we must continue to
build and defend Croatia in a way initiated by Tudjman who led the
Croatian people to a struggle for freedom and a better future, vice-
premier Jure Radic said.
The greatest man in the recent history of Croatians has died, vice-
president Borislav Skegro said.
It is hard to restrain emotion at this moment, president of the
Office for National Security, Ivan Jarnjak said, recalling that he
had worked with the President every day for almost nine years.
At this moment we are still not aware of the greatness of the loss
for Croatia, but all I can do is express gratitude to him for
everything he had done for the Croatian state and for the Croatian
people, Jarnjak said.
(hina) lml