ZAGREB, 5 Nov (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Tuesday received a delegation of the Serb Orthodox Church Holy Synod, which included the Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana, Jovan Pavlovic and the Episcopalian of Sumadija
and member of the Synod, Sava Vukovic, a statement from the President's office said.
ZAGREB, 5 Nov (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Tuesday
received a delegation of the Serb Orthodox Church Holy Synod, which
included the Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana, Jovan Pavlovic
and the Episcopalian of Sumadija and member of the Synod, Sava
Vukovic, a statement from the President's office said. #L#
At the beginning of the meeting, President Tudjman expressed
regret that the meeting, which he had insisted on since the
establishment of the Croatian state, had not taken place earlier,
as it could have prevented the tragedy that befell the Croat and
Serb peoples.
However, one should not live in the past, but see what could
be done in the normalization of relations between the Croat and
Serb peoples as well as between Croatia and Serbia, Tudjman said,
adding the present moment was the right one for such a task.
The Croat and Serb peoples were two historical peoples, who
had never been in conflict until 1918, and after all that happened,
one should establish normal neighborly relations. A precondition
for that was the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian
area, which should be implemented as soon as possible, so that
animosities could be removed, Tudjman said, adding that the task
would be difficult to complete if the reintegration process was
being stalled.
Tudjman also said that the relations between the Croatian
state and Serb Orthodox church should be regulated as well.
This was not only in the interest of the two peoples and of
Croatia and Serbia, but it was important for the establishment of a
new international order in Europe, Tudjman said.
Representatives of the Serb Orthodox church said that they
were ready to do their best to support the completion of peaceful
reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area, as there was no doubt
that the area is part of the Croatian state.
President Tudjman agreed that one should secure the return of
Orthodox episcopalians to Croatia, as well as individual returns of
Serb refugees for humanitarian reasons. The return of the Serb
Orthodox church property would be solved as in cases of other
churches, he added.
The buildings of the Serb Orthodox church in Croatia were
preserved and the Serb Orthodox Church should start taking care of
them as soon as possible, said Jure Radic, president of the State
Commission for Relations with Religious Communities.
Mirko Tankosic, deputy head of the Government Office of
temporary administration for the establishment of Croatian
authority in eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Srijem, stressed
the importance of participation of members of all confessions in
the process of reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area.
A Parliament representative Milorad Pupovac described today's
meeting as a historic step toward the reconciliation which was in
the interest of both peoples.
According to Pupovac, one should prevent all possible
incidents in the reintegration process and allow all those who want
to stay to do so, and those who want to leave to leave the area
peacefully and gradually, the statement said.
(hina) rm jn
051804 MET nov 96