STATEMENT BY CROATIAN ALLIANCE OF ANTIFASCIST WAR VETERANS

SPLIT, Oct 26 (Hina) - The Split branch of the Alliance of Croatian Antifascist War Veterans issued a statement on Saturday "bitterly opposing a unilateral decision by the Omis authorities to bury in a common grave the remains of (regular forces) Domobrani, Ustasha and Partisans killed in the area during World War Two." They also strongly opposed attempts to transfer to the Knin cemetery the bones of hundreds of Partisans killed in Knin in 1945, following the recent destruction of their monument. "We therefore forbid the Knin and Omis authorities as well as any other authorities to desecrate the bones of our fallen comrades by using them for their political necrophilia," said the statement issued from a celebration of the 52nd anniversary of the liberation of Split. The organization said that, together with families of the departed, they would demand that the remains of their brothers in arms be returned to their resting places and that it would seek protection from the Holy See, the International Federation of World War Two Veterans, UNESCO and human rights organizations. (hina) vm 262022 MET oct 96