PRESIDENT TUDJMAN ADDRESSES 4TH HDZ YOUTH CONVENTION

( Editorial: --> 2576 ) ZAGREB, May 8 (Hina) - A two-day convention by the governing Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) youth wing started in Zagreb on Friday. This afternoon the HDZ president, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, addressed participants of the fourth HDZ Youth convention. "HDZ was conceived as a community - not as a party organisation, a monolithic party - but as a community of all thinking Croatian people, who have created and want to keep Croatia's freedom and state. It is up to you to finish what we began," Tudjman said. "Those of you who are not burdened with mutual confrontations must cement the unity of Croathood, as a guarantee of what we have achieved," he said. Tudjman stressed mistakes from the past must not be repeated in the future, including the Jasenovac concentration camp, Bleiburg and the Way of the Cross. "Today, now that we are victorious for the first time, we are faced with the fact that some would like to turn these victories into Bleiburg or Jasenovac," Tudjman said, stressing that this must not be allowed. Speaking about pressures Croatia has been facing since the beginning of its creation until today, President Tudjman said certain international factors planned to pressurise Croatia into a political and economic collapse. With regards to that, Tudjman cited ideas of a unitary Bosnia- Herzegovina. Such an idea, according to which the Croat people would be conquered and wronged, Croatia cannot accept. "Dayton, yes, but also the cantonisation of Bosnia-Herzegovina so that Croats - where they are in majority - have the right to their own administration and authority," Tudjman said. One of the pressures he outlined were the events in relation to Dubrovacka Banka, which he said were being used by internal and external opponents as attempts to destabilise the HDZ and thereby the entire state. But these were without any large effect and the HDZ will rebuff these attempts quickly and effectively, Tudjman said. Speaking about the return of refugees, the Croatian President recalled that demands were being made on Croatia for the return of all Serbs who had taken part in an armed rebellion against Croatia and those who had voluntarily left. "We are for the return of Serbs who remained in the Danube River region and those who are in line with the Croatian state," Tudjman said. He added that following the First and Second World Wars and refugee crises, no such demands had been made as such that were now being imposed on Croatia. "We have reasons to be proud of that which we have achieved and of those results which should develop national conscience," the President said. He reminded that it should not be allowed that Croatia's war victories be turned into "political Jasenovac camps" - as some would want. Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa, HDZ vice-president Ivic Pasalic, the party's secretary-general Ivan Valent and HDZ parliamentary leader Vladimir Seks also addressed the convention earlier in the day. (hina) mb lm 082146 MET may 98