'KOSCHNICK'S LAWYERS AND DOUBLE-STANDARD POLICY' - VJESNIK COMMENT PIECE

PIECE ZAGREB, Feb 10 (Hina) - Today's Zagreb-based daily of Vjesnik carries a comment piece by its Bonn correspondent Nenad Ivankovic. Timing his article ahead of the German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel's visit to Zagreb, Ivankovic comments on recent Mostar unrest and its echoes in German media. #L# He says that the demonstration of Mostar Croats which had followed the arbitration by European Union administrator, has "raised so much anti-Croatian dust that one may get an impression that the press, along with much of the political body, actually compete in condemning not only the incidents which took place there, but all local Croats and the political leadership in Zagreb." "Some (Germany's) politicians go as far as naming Mostar Croats a 'fascist mob'. Although the incidents and assaults on Mr Koschnick deserve all the condemnation, it is indeed incredible that the media and politicians simply refuse to see that most of the protesters had behaved calmly and properly, while the incidents had been caused by minor groups, including those who had sung fascist chants and raised hands in a Nazi-styled salutation," Ivankovic says. "German government has not either prevented neo-Nazi incidents, attacks on the Jewish cemeteries or on foreigners, yet nobody condemns that government as nationalist and irresponsible. "It has been written and spoken that Mostar Croats have violated the Dayton accords, which is really untrue at the moment. If there is someone to be pointed at for offending the agreement, it is Koschnick himself whose decision introduced a seventh district. "Mr Koschnick, who had crowed the accord, now asserts that the Croats want a Berlin Wall in Mostar, only because they disapprove of the district being as large as Mr Orucevic (eastern, Moslem, city Mayor) would like it to be," Ivankovic says. (Hina) jn bk 101216 MET feb 96