$ ON BRIJUNI, July 6 (Hina) - The contribution of the Croatian diaspora to the creation and defense of the Croatian state was enormous, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said on Saturday in his address to the 3rd Convention of the
Croatian World Congress which began on the northern Adriatic island of Brijuni on Friday.
CONVENTI
$ ON
BRIJUNI, July 6 (Hina) - The contribution of the Croatian diaspora
to the creation and defense of the Croatian state was enormous,
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said on Saturday in his address
to the 3rd Convention of the Croatian World Congress which began on
the northern Adriatic island of Brijuni on Friday. #L#
'Unfortunately, the number of Croats living in Croatia is
same as the number of Croats living outside Croatia, and that is
why I am especially pleased to greet all participants of the
Croatian World Congress and the whole diaspora without which there
would be no Croatia in the form in which it exists today',
President Tudjman said.
"The idea of an independent country has always been present with
our diaspora. The Croatian diaspora has shown its unity, and we can
be proud that today, despite the fact that international diplomacy
wanted to prevent the creation of the new state, we have our own
country," Tudjman said, adding that Croats had proved that they
were a people who had not survived all the hardships through their
history by mere chance.
President Tudjman also recalled historical circumstances and
hardships which accompanied the establishment of the Croatian
state.
International interests had favoured the preservation of
Yugoslavia, President Tudjman said. 'Although in autumn 1991 we
were told by those who were well-informed about the situation, that
Croatia would be finished by Christmas, we managed to survive
everything that followed. With our rational and determined policy,
with the maturity of the Croat people and the help from our
diaspora, we have created Croatia', Tudjman said.
Croatia had become a regional force and factor which the
world had to recognize, Tudjman said. The pressure aimed at linking
Croatia to some Yugobalkanias had decreased lately and Croatia's
status on the international scene was getting more stable.
"We have created Croatia, we will know how to protect it
from all hardships," Tudjman said, adding that the rest of the
occupied areas would soon be reintegrated into the Croatian legal
and constitutional system in a peaceful way.
"This is why the Croatian diaspora has to be the true
representative of its country and to be oriented towards the
interests of the Croatian people," Tudjman said concluding his
speech.
Two hundred participants at the congress gave a warm
welcome to President Tudjman. Simun Coric, president of the
Croatian World Congress said that many Croatian emigrants would
return to Croatia more easily if people living in Croatia supported
the Croatian diaspora at least half as zealously as President
Tudjman.
Present at the Convention were also Croatian Defense
Minister Gojko Susak and Emigration Minister Marijan Petrovic.
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061722 MET jul 96