ZAGREB, March 29 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday received the head of the International pan-European Unity and member of the European Parliament, Archduke Otto von Habsburg who was accompanied by his daughter,
Countess Walburga Douglas, his son and president of the pan-European Unity of Austria, Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, the Archduke's Secretary in the European Parliament, Stephan Baier and the president of the pan-European Unity of Croatia, Mislav Jezic, a statement from the President's Office said.
ZAGREB, March 29 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on
Friday received the head of the International pan-European Unity
and member of the European Parliament, Archduke Otto von Habsburg
who was accompanied by his daughter, Countess Walburga Douglas, his
son and president of the pan-European Unity of Austria, Karl von
Habsburg-Lothringen, the Archduke's Secretary in the European
Parliament, Stephan Baier and the president of the pan-European
Unity of Croatia, Mislav Jezic, a statement from the President's
Office said. #L#
Tudjman presented von Habsburg with a King Dmitri Zvonimir
medal and sash for his remarkable contribution to the independence
and Croatia's territorial entity, the reconstruction and progress
of the Croatian state, as well as to Croatia's remarkable successes
in the fields of culture and humanitarian work.
Tudjman said it was a great pleasure to personally present von
Habsburg with the medal as a tribute for everything the Archduke
had done in the fields of politics and diplomacy for Croatia to be
recognized as an independent, sovereign and democratic country as
well as a central European country which deserved its place among
free countries of the world.
Thanking Tudjman for presenting him with tribute and honour,
von Habsburg said that he did not feel he deserved all the credit,
because he followed his own impulse and feeling of obligation
towards Croatia.
He pointed out his parents' affection for Croatia and its
historic ties with Austria. He commended Tudjman for his
perseverance and courage of his politics.
Not only once through history did Croatia defend Christianity
and the western European civilization from barbarism. It should be
admired for the courage of its people and the results it has so far
reached in politics and economy, von Habsburg said.
During the friendly conversation, Tudjman and von Habsburg
expressed their full agreement concerning the fact that the idea of
including Croatia into "Yugoslav" or "Balkan" unities, associations
or confederations was unacceptable because Croatia has always
belonged to the Europe which stretches from the Baltic to the
Adriatic, that is, the "Zwischen Europa" and is an integral part of
the western European civilization.
Present at the talks were also the head of the President's
Office, Ivo Sanader, a Vice Premier, Zarko Domljan, the President's
advisor on foreign affairs, Zeljko Matic, the head of the
President's military cabinet, General Miljenko Crnjac, deputy to
the head of the President's Office, Vesna Skare-Ozbold, and the
head of the President's Cabinet, Gordan Radin.
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291445 MET mar 96