CRO WAR INVALIDS ANNOUNCE PROTEST FOR SEPTEMBER 15

ZAGREB, Sept 5 (Hina) - "Around four thousand homeland war invalids from all parts of Croatia will gather on September 15 at 11.00 hours to stage a peaceful protest at the St. Marko square in Zagreb," president of the Croatian Homeland War Invalids Association (HVIDRA), Marinko Liovic, told Thursday's news conference in Zagreb. He stressed that the aim of the protest was to attract attention to a category of citizens who had taken part in the homeland war and who were today humiliated and living on the margin of society. He cited numerous objections about the fact that the rights of homeland war invalids guaranteed by law were not being respected, especially those concerning accommodation issues, disability and pension benefits and others. According to Liovic, the invalids' requests also concerned the revision of privatization, a revision of resolutions on invalidity and the definition of the terms 'Croatian soldier' and 'hero', as well as 'deserter' and 'war profiteer'. "We are not too happy that we have been forced to warn the executive authority in this way that most of our rights had not been realized," Liovic said, recalling that the protest was followed by a number of meetings at which invalids' representatives had been warning about the problem. (hina) lm jn 051610 MET sep 96