KOELN ARROGANCE AND SERBIAN LOBBY ' VECERNJI LIST COMMENTARY

ZAGREB, Feb 28 (Hina) - 'It is already five months since the Croatian Journalists' Association, on 30 September 1995, sent a protest note to the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) editor's office for discharging 19 journalists who had protested against the suspension of the 'Programme in the Croatian language'. In the meantime, the WDR responded to the protest note, saying it was a free radio station and adding that there had been no dismissals. What is more, the WDR was trying to 'get in contact' with the protesters so that the issue could be settled, Zeljko Hodonj writes in today's issue of the Croatian daily "VECERNJI LIST". Recalling the case, the journalist further writes: "The Croatian programme was 'drowned' in the broadcast entitled 'Forum for Southeastern Europe' which is intended for 'listeners from former Yugoslavia'. With such a choice of editorial strategy, the WDR has shown its political orientation, failing to recognize an internationally recognized state and insisting ignorantly on disqualification'. Speaking about the statements by the WDR editor-in-chief about the 'Serbo-Croat language', the journalists recalls that exactly this failure to differentiate between Croatian and Serbian was typical for the Serbian conception according to which all Croats are actually Serbs. At the end of his commentary, Hodonj says: 'By withdrawing the Croatian programme for the sake of European ideas of communion, the WDR has committed a professional blasphemy. The Croatian community, with 500,000 members, is the largest community in Germany. The WDR bosses did not consider it wise to put someone else to make programmes for the Turks, Italians or Spaniards. Politically, the WDR has chosen to be a restorer of an 'All-Slavia', confirming in that way that the social-democratic associations, which support the radio station, are still lagging behind changes that developed faster and in an unexpected direction. (hina) rm jn 281453 MET feb 96