PRESIDENT TUDJMAN'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION

ZAGREB, May 3 (Hina) - Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman this evening made a televised address to the nation: Dear Croatians, Citizens of Croatia, I am addressing you because of the events that have taken place in recent days and because of those lying ahead of us. At the end of last month, after Serb extremists - despite the presence of UNCRO peace-keeping forces - brutally violated an agreement on highway traffic by attacking travellers, robbing and murdering innocent people, we have decided to put an end to such terrorism. Yesterday Croatian military and police forces liberated roads and the entire Western Slavonia region. The action of Croatian forces lasted only a day and a half although they had to fight the specially trained 18th Corps of the so-called Krajina Serb Army. Making full use of an element of surprise, the Croatian forces won a swift and great victory with minimum losses, while the adversary's losses were much greater. As head of state and supreme commander, I fully commend the commanders and members of all military and police units for their effective and successful performance of the assigned tasks. The liberation of Western Slavonia is of utmost significance, not only from the military but also from the economic, moral, political and particularly international points of view. With this victory Croatia has proved to rebel Croatian Serbs as well as to international factors that it has armed forces capable of liberating all areas still under occupation, if it cannot be achieved by peaceful means in cooperation with the international community. However, the ringleaders of Serb rebellion against Croatia's freedom and statehood still think that they can go on with the war for creating a Greater Serbia unpunished. Not only Croatian people but also responsible international factors have become aware of the intentions of Greater-Serbian imperialists and extremists, and now the whole world must have seen their true face. Examples of such criminal attacks as were carried out yesterday by Serb terrorists on the Croatian capital of Zagreb, and its residents, and before that on Sisak, Karlovac and other Croatian towns, are difficult to find even in wars waged by Nazi- fascist conquerors. Only in Zagreb, rocket bombs have killed a dozen people and wounded about two hundred. Most of them are women, the elderly and children hit in the streets and even in a pediatric clinic. All those Martics and Celeketics and other rebel Serbs who ordered the destruction of Croatian cities and the killing of defenceless citizens must be brought to trial to answer for these crimes but responsibility also lays with their Serbian masters in Belgrade. In this respect, I want them all to know that if they repeat such a criminal attack the Croatian state will respond most energetically to prevent any further act of terrorism. In that event we will no longer allow disarmed rebels to go in peace as we did yesterday in Western Slavonia but they will have to answer for their crimes before Croatian and international tribunals and participate in the reconstruction of everything they have destroyed. At the same time, as President of Croatia, I call on Croatian Serbs to reject and stop those leading them into ruin, and to accept the peaceful reintegration of areas still under occupation into the constitutional, legal and economic system of the democratic Republic of Croatia. The Croatian authorities guarantee to the Serb ethnic community all rights foreseen in the Croatian Constitution and the special Constitutional Law, in accordance with all international conventions. If they do not give up their armed resistance, Croatia will be able and will know how to establish its authority over the entire territory within its internationally recognized borders, in the way it was done yesterday and the day before in Western Slavonia. Croatia has agreed to the new peace-keeping mandate, provided that UNCRO's tasks include the control of Croatia's borders with Serbia and Bosnia, and the monitoring of peaceful reintegration. But Croatia will no longer tolerate the continued ethnic cleansing of Croatian areas, concealed by the cloak of peace- keeping forces. Above all, we will no longer tolerate criminal terrorist attacks on Croatian cities, nor the killing and humiliation of Croatian people. The peaceful integration of still occupied areas would be in the interest not only of Croatian people but also of Croatian Serbs who are willing to live loyally in the Croatian state. Moreover, it is also a prerequisite for the normalisation of Croatia's relations with Serbia and Montenegro (and their Yugoslavia) on the basis of mutual recognition. And this in turn is a precondition the establishment of a new international order in the former Yugoslavia - and for peace in this part of Europe, which is also the interest of the entire world community. With this goal in mind, Croatia has accepted the Washington Accords on a Croat-Moslem federation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and its confederation with Croatia. Croatia wants to remain consistent with its policy of peace, in order to avoid further loss of life and devastation, so that it could devote its resources and energies to its economic and cultural reconstruction - but it will take all necessary and energetic steps to secure peaceful life of its citizens and the integrity of its internationally recognised territory. We are confident that Croatia and its peaceful and principled policy will encounter understanding and support from important international factors and the entire international community. In order to achieve a prompt and full success, it is necessary to preserve and strengthen the unity of all strata of the Croatian people. It is particularly important to strengthen our defensive power and to remain consistent in implementing the state policy in all the segments of the legislative, judicial and executive powers. Dear citizens of Croatia! The present obstacles to Croatia's freedom are insignificant and cannot be compared with difficulties and impediments we had to overcome on the path to our national independence. The world has now an opportunity to witness the Croatian people showing its increased determination to ensure the integrity and sovereignty of their recently established independent, autonomous and democratic Croatian state. Let us preserve a firm belief in our own strength and the future of our Croatian homeland in the world community of sovereign nations. (hina) mm vm as puf jn bk 032059 MET may 95