PRESIDENT TUDJMAN OPENS ANTE STARCEVIC'S MEMORIAL HOME

( Editorial: --> 6093 ) GOSPIC, May 23 (Hina) - On the occasion of the Lika-Senj County Day, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman visited this central Croatian County on Saturday accompanied by senior state officials. In Veliki Zitnik, near Gospic, Tudjman opened the memorial home of Ante Starcevic, a Croatian politician and writer (1823-1896) whose day of birth is celebrated by the Lika-Senj County as its day. Labour and Social Welfare Minister also opened works for the construction of a retirement home in Gospic. At the celebration in Veliki Zitnik marking the 175th anniversary of the birth of Ante Starcevic, Tudjman addressed the gathering recalling Starcevic's idea that the Croatian people could not survive without the Croatian state. Starcevic in 1861 founded the Party of Rights which advocated full freedom and independence of Croatia which was at the time a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. "Starcevic was nationally aware and resolute in the fight for the rights of the Croatian people who were a sacred thing for Starcevic and in whom he believed infinitely," Tudjman said. He added "we have build the Croatian state and entwined in it is the doctrine of Ante Starcevic - that the Croatian people must have their own state". Tudjman warned that there were still those who interpreted Starcevic's doctrine one-sidedly. "The Croatian people have matured and we can be certain in their present and future, although there are still pressures on Croatia exerted by those who did not want its independence," Tudjman said. He warned that the Croatian people had problems that could not be solved over night. Enormous tasks are before us, but we knew how to create the Croatian state, we will know how to overcome these problems, but we must not allow division of the Croatian people and the repetition of Bleiburg and Jasenovac, Tudjman said. In 1945 in Bleiburg, Croatian communists killed a large number of soldiers and civilians of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH, 1941-1945) who were fleeing the country. Jasenovac was a concentration camp in NDH in which, besides Jews and Serbs, many Croatian communists had been executed. Recalling the death and sufferings of the Croatian people in their fight for independence, Tudjman stressed it was important to maintain unity and overcome the negative legacy from the past in order for the sovereign Croatian state to be strengthened. Tudjman dismissed allegations that it was the current authority who is responsible for difficulties in the market economy, describing them as demagogy by those who want to cause a crisis in the government. He expressed conviction that the Croatian people, who knew how to achieve Croatia's independence and democracy, would know how to overcome all their problems and maintain their independence. Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa, National Parliament member Nikica Valentic and National Parliament speaker Vlatko Pavletic all addressed the gathering. At the ceremony, Lika-Senj County prefect Ante Frkovic handed Tudjman a charter, making him honorary resident of the Lika-Senj County. (hina) lm 231833 MET may 98