GOVT SPOKESMAN IS APPALLED AT BRUTALITY OF SFOR OPERATION

( Editorial: --> 9659 ) ZAGREB, Dec 19 (Hina) - Croatia has this year eliminated all pressure and strengthened its international position, the head of the Croatian Government's Communications Office, Neven Jurica, told reporters Friday. Jurica spoke about the basic guidelines of Croatia's policy in 1997 and the success it achieved. Through consistent, composed and sensible steps in the peaceful reintegration of the eastern part of the country, Croatia has proved its strength in and capability of establishing full stability and security in the region, Jurica said. Croatia had proven to be a trustworthy partner with the international community in resolving the crisis in the region, he added. Jurica said that by establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel, Croatia completed the process of being internationally recognised and establishing diplomatic relations with all major world countries. He was satisfied with the fact that Schengen convention countries had included Croatia among countries whose citizens will as of January 1, 1999 no longer require visas to enter the convention's signatories. Commenting on SFOR's action in central Bosnia Thursday, Jurica said "the brutality SFOR special units used in the arrest of Vlatko Kupreskic and Ante Furundzija in Vitez was unnecessary and superfluous". "The level of violence against those who showed maximum cooperation with the Hague tribunal and who, as the least numerous people in Bosnia-Herzegovina, suffered the most during the war, is appalling," Jurica said. He asked what was being done about war criminals from the other nationalities, those who committed crimes against Croats. Speaking about an announced SFOR military exercise on Croatian territory, Jurica said "they cannot perform exercises on the sovereign territory of a sovereign state, without previous consultation or a request for permission". Asked for an assessment of a Christmas message by Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic, Jurica said the message read as the voice of moral authority. "That message accordingly complements the aspirations and messages President Tudjman forwarded to members of the Croatian National Parliament and the whole Croatian people in his address yesterday," Jurica said. He stressed Bozanic's words coincided with the increasingly successful efforts of Croatia's authorities to resolve social issues and to stop unbridled capitalism. Asked about yesterday's resolution of the European Parliament which voiced concern for the activity of independent associations and media in Croatia, Jurica said he believed the resolution took insufficient consideration of facts related to the instances it referred to. (hina) ha mm 191815 MET dec 97