PRESIDENT TUDJMAN RECEIVES BAR ASSOCIATION REPS

ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman today received representatives of the Croatian Bar Association and delegations from Bar Associations from several European and other countries, the President's office said Friday in a statement. Following is the full text of the statement: "The delegation acquainted President Tudjman with a panel on the protection of rights of war victims, organised by the Bar Association to mark the Croatian Barristers' Day. While international legislation did provide for the punishment of war crimes, the rights and protection of war crimes victims were still neglected, and it was necessary to ensure that victims had proper legal representation and advice, was one of the conclusions reached at the panel. President Tudjman voiced his satisfaction to be able to welcome the representatives of a profession which was of the utmost importance for the democratic system of any state. In Croatia, the legal profession still bore the scars of the war and the former political system. "We can be proud of everything that has been achieved in the legal profession, but in practice, the situation is not quite satisfactory yet," President Tudjman said. He said that Croatia and the nieghbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina could be an example of all kinds of tragedies befalling the victims of war. President Tudjman went on to explain the historical reasons of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and the Serb aggression. Also discussed were current issues such as the implementation of peace accords in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the reintegration of the still occupied Croatian areas. President Tudjman concluded by wishing his guest success in their work. The Bar Association delegation included: chairman of the Croatian Bar Association, Marijan Hanzekovic, representative of the International Association of Barristers, Mauro Rubino Samartano, representative of the International Federation of Bar Associations, Peter Koves, Ph.D., Francis Teitgen of the Paris Bar Association, Dietrich Schumann of the German Bar Association, the chairman of the Geneva Bar Association, Deputy Chairman of the Croatian Bar Association, Drazen Matijevic i chairman of the Bar, Milan Vladovic. President Tudjman was accompanied by his chief-of-staff, Ivo Sanader, foreign policy advisor Zeljko Matic, legal advisor Smiljko Sokol, deputy chief-of-staff Vesna Skare-Ozbolt and head of cabinet Gordan Radin." (hina) as 082107 MET mar 96