ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - After the honorary guard standing by the coffin of the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman exchanges for the last time at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb, a cortege with the President's coffin will set out
toward the central city cemetery of Mirogoj, where the President will be laid to rest.
ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - After the honorary guard standing by the
coffin of the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman exchanges for
the last time at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb, a cortege with
the President's coffin will set out toward the central city
cemetery of Mirogoj, where the President will be laid to rest. #L#
At 11am, eight Croatian army generals will put the coffin on an
artillery caisson in front of the Presidential Palace, where the
President's Chief-of-Staff Ivica Kostovic is expected to bid
farewell to the President.
The funeral procession sets out toward Mirogoj at 11.15am and is
expected to reach the cemetery at 12.40am. After the coffin is
carried into the chapel, honorary guards will exchange by the
President's coffin. After the last exchange, eight Croatian
generals will take their places by the coffin and carry it out of the
chapel, marking the beginning of the funeral ceremony (2pm).
A choir in front of the chapel will perform the song 'Zvira voda',
after which Parliament President Vlatko Pavletic will hold a
speech.
A religious ceremony will be conducted by Zagreb Archbishop and
president of the Croatian Bishops' Conference, Msgr. Josip
Bozanic, after which the song "Boze cuvaj Hrvatsku" will be
performed.
The funeral procession will set out toward the burial at 2.35pm.
A cannon battery will fire a 25 gun salute. Once they reach the
burial site, the cortege will take their places and academician
Ivan Aralica will hold a speech.
The religious ceremony will take place before the ceremony of
taking the Croatian flag from the coffin. The flag will folded up
and handed to the President's aide Major General Kresimir Kaspar,
who will give the flag to the President's family. After that, the
cannon battery will fire a three gun salute.
With the performance of the national anthem 'Lijepa nasa' and
combat planes flying over the cemetery, the coffin with the body of
President Tudjman will be laid into the crypt at 3.25pm.
At 6pm, a memorial service will be held at the Zagreb cathedral by
Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, special envoy of Pope John Paul II.
Many foreign state officials, including Turkish President Suleyman
Demirel, Hungary's Premier Viktor Orban, and Macedonian Premier
Ljupco Georgijevski, have announced their presence at the
funeral.
(hina) rml
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