CROATIAN PRESIDENT UNVEILS "DOMAGOJ'S BOAT" MONUMENT

VID, June 13 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday unveiled a monument to Croatian prince Domagoj called "Domagoj's Boat" in the south Croatian village of Vid, near Metkovic. The monument, made by academic sculptor Stjepan Skoka, was decanted at Zagreb's Plastic Arts Academy, and is one of the largest brass monuments made in Croatia. Present at today's event were Croatia's top state officials, including Premier Zlatko Matesa, Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic, Defense Minister Gojko Susak, and the president's advisor for national security, Luka Bebic. Also attending were the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect, Jure Buric, and the Mayor of Metkovic, Stipe Gabric. Addressing the gathered, Croatia's president said that prince Domagoj was one of the greatest Croatian rulers from the ninth century, who to defend Croatia's coastline and sea had warred against Saracens and Arabs, against Venetians and Franks, and had crushed the Frank rule over Croatia. Whereas his main adversaries, the Venetians, labelled him the worst Croatian prince, the ruling papal authority called him a glorious ruler, because "way back then he, as the Croatian and national ruler, had committed himself to western, Mediterranean and European culture", President Tudjman said. Speaking about Domagoj's fight for Croatia and the Croatian state's loss of independence (early 12th century), the Croatian President said that "throughout nine centuries, historical and international conditions did not make it possible for us to achieve our independence (…), but interior disagreements too were a reason and a cause of our past misfortunes." "A people without its state is, so to speak, homeless, a people without its state cannot rule itself, must be someone else's servant", President Tudjman said. "We have put an end to this path in history by drawing conclusions from our past and saying: you Croats who are feuding, offer each other a hand, realize that only because of our feuding have others ruled Croatia and benefited from Croatia's beauties and resources", Tudjman said. "This is what has been achieved in our age, on an example we cannot find in other peoples", he added, and strongly objected to attempts of those who once again wished to stir up dissension among the Croatian people. "By achieving its freedom, its state, the Croatian people has showed its maturity, has learnt lessons and drawn conclusions out of its history", the Croatian President said. "I believe we have achieved all that Croats have strived for, Domagoj and his successors, all that at no cost must we let slip out of our hands - our destiny, freedom and our country", President Tudjman concluded. (hina) ha jn 132256 MET jun 97