3,500 DISABLED WAR VETERANS TO TAKE PART IN PROTEST MEETING SUNDAY

SUNDAY $ , SEPT 15 ZAGREB, 13 Sept (Hina) - Some 3,500 representatives of the Croatian Association of Disabled War Veterans (HVIDRA) from the whole of Croatia are to participate in a peaceful protest meeting, which is to be organized by HVIDRA and held this Sunday, September 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St Mark square in central Zagreb, HVIDRA President Marko Liovic told a press conference Friday, adding that 94 members of HVIDRA, as well as members of civil and military police would take care of order during the meeting. #L# Today's press conference was also attended by the head of the Military Police Administration, Major General Mate Lausic, aide to Interior Minister, Josko Moric and Zagreb Police Superintendent Tomislav Karamarko. Apart from disabled war veterans, the meeting will be attended by some 100 members of the Association of Parents of Killed Croatian Defenders and some 200 members of the Association of Homeland War Volunteers. The participants in the meeting would be addressed by high state officials, and disabled war veterans hoped that President Franjo Tudjman would also attend the meeting, Liovic stressed. 'Zagreb city authorities have allowed us to hold the meeting at St Mark square as an exception, because the square is not suitable for such gatherings. That is why we would like to stress that this is a meeting of disabled persons, not citizens. All those who want to join the meeting can do that at Ban Jelacic square after 1 p.m.', HVIDRA President said. Liovic also spoke about 'tendentious and malicious headlines' in the weekly 'Globus' and the daily 'Novi list', suggesting that 'disabled war veterans want to topple someone'. 'We don't want to topple anyone, we only want to improve the status of disabled war veterans', Liovic said. (hina) rm jn 131424 MET sep 96