TUDJMAN: ATTACKS ON SPEECHES AT HDZ CONVENTION UNFOUNDED

( Editorial: --> 0275 ) ZAGREB, March 17 (Hina) - President Franjo Tudjman described as unfounded and unjustified attacks which followed his speech at the Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) fourth general convention. In a brochure, which was published by the HDZ and which contains his speeches and the programme declaration of the fourth convention, Tudjman estimates that the attacks originated from completely twisted and wrong estimations and interpretations of the whole convention. The President pointed to the fact that his speeches and the programme declaration were inter-connected and together made a whole. It was necessary to print together the texts of speeches and the declaration, Tudjman said, adding he was prompted to do this by a series of "concerted attacks on my speech and the whole HDZ convention, by internal and external enemies". Those attacks differed very slightly and they started already during the convention, on its second day, Tudjman said. "From the content, characteristics and almost obvious purpose of those attacks it can be concluded that everything essential that was said at the fourth HDZ General Convention was correct and had to be presented before the domestic and world public," he said. The evidence supporting that correctness was not only the said texts, printed in the brochure, but also the development of events after the Convention, Tudjman said. President Tudjman prepared for printing the texts of his speeches from the HDZ convention by using language and style editing of a phonographic recording, whereby, he said, he did not "omit, or in any other sense change any of his estimations or presented opinions". He intervened in the text only in case of "small, additional explanations", made to explain certain parts of his speeches, Tudjman said. The programme declaration published in the brochure was prepared by Ivic Pasalic, Smiljko Sokol and Pero Jurkovic. The final editing of the content and style of the declaration was made by President Tudjman. (hina) mm rm /mb 171558 MET mar 98