PRESIDENT TUDJMAN SPEECH AT HDZ HEAD COMMITTEE (2)

ZAGREB, Dec 7 (Hina) - Croatia could not rely on anyone while it was building its armed force, Tudjman said. Croatia had made decisions on liberating occupied areas and settling the crisis in Bosnia, not only by itself but also against friendly advice and judgments, Tudjman added. By military victories in Croatia and Bosnia, we had changed the strategic relations and not only in the area of the former Yugoslavia. Thanks to the victories, we also established partner relations with the main world power, the U.S.A, he said. Despite this fact, and partially due to this fact, domestic and foreign circles closed their ranks and radicalised their views, pursuing a policy hostile to the Croatian independence and sovereignty, he added. They had prepared so far several successive attempts to discredit and destabilize the HDZ and the established authorities, and to replace them with a new leadership and people who would be acceptable to invisible givers of orders. He mentioned the creation of a big coalition at the first elections that should have toppled the Communists but also prevented the victory of the HDZ. Then during 1991 and 1992 "the International Croatian Initiative" was made out of a group of Croatian intellectuals abroad (in the Diaspora). The group, led by Ivo Banac, Krsto Cviic, Neven Simac, included canon Milan Simcic and professors Juraj Sutija, Radoslav Katicic, Stanko Lasic and Marc Djidara and Kranjevic (the son of Juraj Kranjcevic). When most of above-mentioned, well-meaning persons realized that the real intention of the Initiative was not to 'help the Croatian state' but to establish another rule in Croatia, they soon broke up with their leaders, he added. The real programme of those prime movers and their associates was obvious in a letter published in the 'Erasmus' magazine on September 20 1993, under the title "Time for Resignation From Power' and signed by Ivo Banac, Krsto Cviic, Slavko Goldstein, Vlado Gotovac, Vesna Pusic and Ozren Zunec, who demanded of the Croatian President to resign immediately. The leaders of these and similar initiatives, said the President, soon shifted the emphasis of their activities to Croatia, where they also formed an organization, "Homeland and Diaspora". This organization included emigres such as Banac, Cviic, Radja, Maruna, Kusan, Vlado Pavlinic, G. Boric, Osman Stuart alias Brkovic, who were regarded with a certain reserve by the majority of the Croatian diaspora. These were now, in a free homeland, advocating the linking of opposition and foreign circles, as well as advocating constantly new initiatives for the destabilization of HDZ, through disparagement, fomenting schisms and using all means to remove the present government, President Tudjman said, adding that their preparations for both parliamentary and presidential elections in 1992 were based on guidelines written in London, in the hopes that with the aid of the Croatian Social Liberal Party they could overthrow HDZ. When these expectations proved to have been unrealistic, during the 1995 elections they assigned this role to the Croatian Peasants' Party. After repeatedly losing elections, they resorted to all kinds of methods, including invitation to disobedience, social disturbances and strikes. Their most far-reaching but also the most transparent move had been to provoke the Zagreb crisis, which they hoped would spread throughout Croatia, said President Tudjman. Those who had caused the Zagreb crisis, he added, got the maximum of support from outside, and there had also been instances of blackmailing Croatia. In relation to this, Tudjman recalled the Paul Werner group, which operated in Germany under the high-sounding name of the Democratic Croatian General Assembly (DEHOS), which last year not only incited the making of a coalition of Croatian opposition parties, but also succeeded in inviting the leaders of the seven party opposition alliance to Germany, with a promise of help from official circles as well. This, however, had not happened, since we dealt with DEHOS at the first session of the HDZ Head Committee in February this year, President Tudjman said. Besides the direct political activity of various components of the domestic and foreign anti-HDZ collusion, a broader campaign to change the image of Croatia was developed in the sphere of cultural and media activities concerned with human rights and liberties, Tudjman said. Through Soros' "Open Society", the Helsinki Committee and other human rights organizations, the anti- HDZ collusion had permeated the whole society, said Tudjman, pointing out that Soros registered with the Ministry of Economy on 5 March 1993 and obtained permission to "collect and distribute humanitarian aid." At the time when it was fighting for a good official relationship with European countries and the world's leading superpower, the Croatian authorities had, losing sight of their activities, allowed them to act against diplomatic codes and state sovereignty. They had involved 290 different institutions in Croatia in their projects, as well as hundreds of people to whom they awarded scholarships and paid money. "In an attempt to win them over through financial support, they roped in members of all ages and classes, from high school pupils and students to journalists, university profesors and academicians, from all spheres of culture, economy, science, health, law and literature", President Tudjman said, adding that "in the past years, the Soros foundation alone earmarked some 15 million dollars for this purpose." As for the goals of Soros' and similar societies, "they openly say: their duty is to change the ownership and government structures through donations of technical and computer equipment donations," President Tudjman said. "They even say, quite openly, that it is not enough for them to train journalists and others through various scholarships in America, BBC scholarship and such like, which they award by means of public and internal competitions, but that it is also necessary that they be equipped financially, technically, etc," Tudjman said. He said that the "Voice of America" had called on all radio stations in Croatia to broadcast their programme, promising them technical equipment but only Radio 101 had responded, Tudjman said. They considered the survival of Radio 101 and the Feral Tribune weekly as their biggest success, he said. "It is certain that the public, including the ministers, does not have sufficient knowledge about all this. The result is that such phenomena are not understood, which in turn leads to wrong judgments and actions. To create favourable circumstances for the replacement of the present authority and situation in Croatia, to gain control over all spheres of life, they intend to focus their energies and influence on the media and the field of culture," Tudjman said. "Engaged with Soros's mission of assisting the media are also European and American foundations and even representation offices. The media being financed to this end include: Feral, Arkzin, Vijenac, Novi list, Bumerang, Otok Ivanic, Dan, Metro, Start Nove Generacije, Radio Baranja and Radio Labin. The level of this effort was apparent from the fact that Feral Tribune was given special importance in the media as one of the most successful projects they have ever achieved," Tudjman stressed. Another proof that this drive was based on an organised network was the case of "two kindergarten employees from Samobor who received pay-off in dollars, and in exchange organized the signing of a petition for the replacement of Mayor Bedenicic, because he is from the HDZ". Tudjman said that the self-named leadership of the "Homeland and Diaspora" was already preparing for the 1997 elections, which, in the present situation, included serious plans for the post- Tudjman period. They had also hoped for the adoption of the Value Added Tax Act, judging that it would further increase the dissatisfaction of wide strata and facilitate everything they had planned with the aim of replacing the HDZ, Tudjman added. This was all written in their documents and strategic studies which were being drawn up for them "not only by individuals" who had been previously engaged in London, Washington, Paris and Bonn to Australia, Tudjman said. They were obviously backed by centres which were working on strategic plans for including Croatia into a Balkan regional integration (south of Slovenia and north of Greece), or a south- east European integration, which went further towards the Balkans, Tudjman said. "The above-mentioned emissaries, in the role of leaders and coordinators of the overall endeavors for the removal of the HDZ authority, have ready-made blueprints, and special studies are being drawn up for the strategy of the main opposition party, which according to their estimates is the HSLS because of the presidency candidate, and for the alliance of all opposition. Everything is to be done to achieve the breakdown of HDZ. According to their estimates, within the HDZ there are moderate powers, but they cannot be supported nor can there be any cooperation with them while the leader of the state and the party is Tudjman. A man who has earned credit for Croatia, they admit, but who is the main obstacle, but they don't tell their own people - an obstacle to what? There is no negotiation with Tudjman, he must be beaten!" Tudjman said. He added it was obvious that they were the same people who had launched the first initiative from abroad which sent the call for Tudjman to resign, which had been signed in Croatia by Gotovac, Goldstein and their ilk. He also said that well-meaning professors and a Vatican official had withdrawn from the initiative. With its experience of two millennia, the Vatican had very quickly realized what it was about and stopped any cooperation with such anti-Croatian activities in the given international circumstances, Tudjman stressed. (hina) ha lm jn 072011 MET dec 96