ILOK'S SLOVACS CELEBRATE THEIR ANNIVERSARY

( Editorial: --> 4568 ) ILOK, May 17 (Hina) - Slovaks in Ilok (east Croatia) on Sunday celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Slovakian Cultural and Education Society, the 50th anniversary of the Human rights Declaration and the 7th anniversary of Croatia's international recognition. The celebration was organised under the auspices of the Croatian government. Ilok's mayor Stipan Kraljevic said that Slovaks had been present in Ilok for 150 years and they had shown loyalty to Croatia during the Homeland War in which they shared the fate of Croats and stayed in Ilok during the occupation. The Vukovar-Srijem county prefect, Rudolf Koenig, said the Croatian state guaranteed cultural autonomy to every national minority in Croatia, which is especially significant in the Vukovar-Srijem County which has the most national minorities in Croatia. On behalf of the Croatian government, head of the Office for Ethnic and National Minorities in Croatia, Mila Simic, said that the position of national minorities in any civilised country was one of basic and central issues, as it is in Croatia. National minorities living in Croatia had all rights guaranteed to them in the Constitution, Simic said. She applauded the Slovak cultural Society for maintaining Slovak culture and tradition in Croatia all these years. Around 1,300 Slovaks live in Ilok, making up 18 per cent of the town's population. (hina) lm 172045 MET may 98