PRESIDENT TUDJMAN GIVES INTERVIEW TO CROATIAN MEDIA

ZAGREB, Sept 12 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday answered questions from editors and commentators of the Croatian Radio and Television, Zagreb's dailies Vjesnik, Vecernji List, Slobodna Dalmacija and Croatian military newspapers. The talks mostly focused on Thursday's meeting between Tudjman, representatives of the international community and the Bosnian Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, concerning the upcoming elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Asked whether the decision of the Bosnian HDZ to give up from boycotting the elections had been reached because of international pressure or because the international community had realised that the criticism of the Bosnian HDZ had been justified, Tudjman explained that representatives of the international community had listened to the justified comments of the Croat leadership and that they would take them into consideration and make corrections. #L# He recalled that the decision of the Croat leadership in Bosnia-Herzegovina about the boycott had been justified, that the HDZ there enjoyed the support of 90% of the Croat people. He stressed that the Bosnian HDZ and the Croat leadership in state bodies of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Bosnian Federation had reached the decision independently, adding that that decision had been justified from his point of view as well, because during the preparations for the elections, many mistakes had been made in the registration of voters, in the "electoral engineering", considering the fact that the elections in Bosnia were taking place in conditions which were not normal. The peak of the irregularities was the publishing of a text on behalf of OSCE, Tudjman said, "which is an anti-Croat pamphlet and bears witness to the atmosphere in which the elections were being prepared". President Tudjman confirmed that he had personally recommended the Croat leadership in Bosnia to talk with representatives of the international community and to try to find a solution. "After two-hour talks (in Zagreb on Thursday) which I held in the hours of the afternoon with Westendorp and Klein, we talked till midnight in the evening, and that is when we managed to find a solution. You heard the solution from Mr. Frowick's statement who said that he had listened to the justified criticism by the Croat leadership, that he would take them into consideration and carry out corrections. So, this was a basis on which we ended this very critical situation for the further development of the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, especially in the Bosnian Federation, and relations of both the Bosnian Federation and Croatia with the international community," Tudjman said. Asked about the connection of the decision of the HDZ leadership in Bosnia-Herzegovina to boycott the elections, and very strong pressures, not only on the Croat leadership in Bosnia, but on the Republic of Croatia itself, and indications that the European Union had been preparing a complete suspension of relations with Croatia and solutions in the Danubian area damaging for Croatia, President Tudjman said that pressure had been exerted, and additional pressures had been in preparation. Croatia was carrying out its politics consistently, Tudjman said, adding that Croatia did not have to go toward some European and western criteria and democratic principles, because Croatia such as it is had defended Europe from the 15th to the 18th century. "The similar is happening today. We are defending our national interests, but we are also defending the interests of Europe and the western world," Tudjman stressed. Tudjman confirmed that the central zone in Mostar would not be an electoral unit through which Moslems-Bosniacs would win a majority. Tudjman pointed out the problem of Zepce. If the Croat people there, who had barely held up during the war, were to be given an unfavourable solution, these people would be forced to leave the area. "We said that 150,000 Croats were exiled from areas under Serb control, that 170,000 Croats were exiled from areas under Moslem control, and 40,000 moved out of their own accord, not being able to see the possibility of further co-existence. International representatives could not turn a deaf ear on such arguments," Tudjman stressed. He added that 70,000 Moslems had fled or left areas under Croat control. "All these are real issues which speak about the profundity of the lack of understanding" among the peoples, Tudjman said. "I reiterated yesterday that if the justified Croat requests are not met, Croatia would not at any rate agree that Bosnian Croats be forced to give up on their justified decision," Tudjman stressed. Asked to comment on why Mostar was in the centre of a campaign by a part of the international community to discredit the Croat politics in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tudjman said that "from the very beginning of the implementation of the Dayton Agreement, certain European representatives sided with Moslem extremists and wanted to compromise the Dayton Agreement itself. Because the Dayton Agreement envisages that the equality of the Croat people in the Federation and constituency in the whole of Bosnia-Herzegovina ensured," Tudjman said. Old mistakes should not be repeated and the example of Bosnia be used to renew unitarianism which in fact had no future for the three people living in Bosnia-Herzegovina, nor for peace in a wider sense, not only in that country, but in the south-eastern of Europe and Europe as well, Tudjman stressed. On the one hand, international circles provided support to Unitarian, meaning anti-Croat views, and aspirations of the Moslems to realise a majority through a so-called civic Bosnia, Tudjman said, adding that on the other hand, serious people, the most responsible, such as Frowick, Klein and Westendorp, realised a reality which could not be changed by force. Tudjman recalled that the world has been unsuccessfully involved with Bosnia-Herzegovina for centuries, and now was the time to look at problems more realistically and solve them according to actual situations, not according to some illusions. Croatia was a signatory to the Dayton Agreement, Tudjman recalled, adding that the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina was of important interest to Croatia, not only regarding the Croat national entity in Bosnia, but also for the national state security of Croatia, considering the borders. Croatia was interested in the survival of Croathood in Bosnia and in the safety of its borders. From that point of view, Tudjman stressed, we have accepted such a responsibility before the international community and have said that we cannot give it up. The international community has realised that this crisis cannot be resolved without us. And this case was about the representatives of the Croat people in Bosnia and of the international community not finding a solution and that, just as I had initiated the reaching of the Dayton Agreement, I asked for a solution which would be acceptable both for the Croat people in Bosnia, Bosnian Federation and for the international community, Tudjman stressed. He expressed hope that the elections would pass as normally as possible and that they would be successful for the Croat people. During the talks, Tudjman was asked to comment on the changes in the Croatian government. "What has been announced by Premier Matesa has been completed and there will be no more changes in the government," Tudjman said. (hina) lm mm 122022 MET sep 97