"FROM THE DOVE TO PEACE" EXHIBITION OPENS IN PARIS

PARIS, Sept 3 (Hina) - Croatian Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic opened an exhibition entitled "From the Dove to Peace" in the UNESCO Palace in Paris on Wednesday evening. The show features exhibits dating from prehistoric times to the present day and originating from four Croatian towns: Vukovar, Ilok, Vinkovci and Osijek. Among them is the Dove of Vucedol, a receptacle found at the prehistoric archaeological site outside Vukovar. In her welcoming remarks, Croatian Ambassador to UNESCO Vesna Girardi-Jurkic said that the exhibition was important because it presented the heritage of an area of Croatia which had been hit hardest by the war. The UNESCO director-general's personal envoy, Azedine Beschaouch, said that the exhibition would show a true picture of the suffering of the Croatian Danube region. He added that UNESCO would assist in the reconstruction of war-damaged cultural monuments through its aid programmes. The opening ceremony was also attended by Croatian Parliament Vice-President Zarko Domljan, the mayors of Osijek, Vukovar, Ilok and Vinkovci, Croatian Ambassador to France Smiljan Simac, Croats living in France and UNESCO ambassadors. (hina) vm jn 032114 MET sep 97