HHO CALLS ON "SIMON WIESENTHAL" CENTRE TO WITHDRAW STATEMENT ON CR

CR $ OATIAN POSTAL STAMP ZAGREB, Oct 24 (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (HHO) on Thursday called on the director of the Paris-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Shimon Samuels, to withdraw his statement in which he had called on the General Posts Association to condemn the issuing of a postal stamp in Croatia which allegedly paid tribute to Andrija Artukovic and to demand that Croatia withdraw the stamp. HHO said in a statement that it was a "grave misunderstanding" because the name Artukovic written on the stamp was the name of Lovro Artukovic who had designed the stamp. The Simon Wiesenthal Centre had said in a statement, according to HHO, that the commemorative stamp was issued "in honour of Andrija Artukovic, former interior minister of the puppet Independent State of Croatia," which existed during World War Two. Samuels had informed the Council of Europe secretary general of this matter, HHO said. HHO said it had examined other postal stamps issued by Croatian Post and Telecommunications (HPT) and found that they contained the names of designers and printing companies. (hina) vm jn 241726 MET oct 96