CROATIAN STATE COMMISSION FOR HISTORIC AND WAR VICTIMS ESTABLISHED

( Editorial: --> 5239 ) ZAGREB, May 20 (Hina) - A State Commission for Historic and War Victims was established on Zagreb on Wednesday. Attending the first, constitutive session of the Commission were the Commission's chairman, Nikica Valentic, and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. The State Commission for Historic and War Victims should strengthen the basic thesis of the current Croatian policy, reconciliation of all Croats, Valentic said. "The aim of the Commission is not to dig pits nor to search for elements for historic conflicts, but to, on the basis of historical experience, strengthen the basic theses of the current Croatian policy, which is the reconciliation of all Croats," Valentic told reporters at the end of the session. Stressing that the basic task of the Commission is to establish as much facts as possible about war and historical victims since 1918 until this day, Valentic said that the work of this body also had a political dimension, because it is happening simultaneously with the extradition procedure of the former commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp during W.W.II, Dinko Sakic. "His trial will again give rise to certain old historic discussions about the number of victims, which are often used for political pressures, for resurrecting the old thesis about committed genocide by the Croatian people and about the continuation of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH, 1941-1945) ideology in the present Croatian state," Valentic said. He added that such stances were "absolutely inaccurate". "The wish of the Commission is to show and prove through its work, based on historic facts, that the situation was mostly quite the opposite," he concluded. (hina) lm jn 201336 MET may 98