PRESIDENT TUDJMAN'S INTERVIEW WITH MAJOR EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

ZAGREB, Nov 2 (Hina) - Croatian President Dr.Franjo Tudjman granted an interview on the peace initiative he presented today to the editors-in-chief of the major Croatian media. Asked about his expectations of the peace initiative in terms of the international factors, including Belgrade and Knin, Croatian President said that he believed that the initiative will raise different comments. He added that he counts on the fact that both in Belgrade and on the Belgrade-Knin connection there are persons who have realized that the continuation of the present policy leads to no end just for the current figures of Serbian policy on the creation of Great Serbia, that they have been brought to international isolation that is coming to great extent, to an economically disastrous situation and that they will be forced to normalize their relations with Croatia. "There will also be those who will oppose that, who will be in favor of continuing the war, but I think that those will be the minority," Tudjman said. Asked to compare his initiative with what is offered by the idea of the "global solution", President Tudjman explained that that initiative includes resolving all problems on the territory of the former Yugoslavia on equal principles. "Thus, that especially concerns the rights of the national minorities, that Serbs cannot request greater rights for Serbs in Croatia than those Serbia is ready to offer to Albanians or Hungarians in Serbia, not to mention the numerous Croats in Vojvodina," Tudjman said. Croatian President also said he could see certain positive intentions in the initiative for a conference on the "global solution", but added that it is "essential that the preparations for such a conference would allegedly last six months and even longer, that the agony in B-H will be prolongued and that the crisis would be deepened." He also said that that creates certain possibilities for certain powers and certain tendencies to realize their specific aims. "The Croatian Peace Initiative includes crucial points of the idea on the global solution," President Tudjman said. He also believes that one of the main proposals that could get international support is the proposal for signing a joint declaration on mutual recognition at the renewed conference. Asked if the term "Serbian ethnic community", from his Peace Initiative, as opposed to the term "Serbian national minority" can be considered an act of good will, President Tudjman answered affirmatively. President Tudjman emphasised that within the framework of the Geneva draft for the resolution of the Crisis in B-H a conclusion was reached that that state can be maintained only as the union of the republics. He added that "there are views saying that since Serbs achieved so much in war and, since they want to break away, only Croats and Muslims can stay in the union." Such a solution would be, according to President Tudjman, unacceptable both for the Croats in B-H and the Republic of Croatia. "If that is permitted, i.e. if what Izetbegovic had signed with Serbs (that Serbian republic can join Serbia) is carried out it is only reasonable that the Croatian republic join Croatia - but, even in that case we are in favor of strengthening friendly relations with the Bosnian-Muslim republic, including an agreement not only on cooperation, but also on joint defense efforts," Croatian President said adding that that would be in the interest of the Croatian people since a part of the Croatian population in B-H will stay in that Bosnian-Muslim republic. Answering the question on how to move the problem of the UNPAs from the still point, President Tudjman said that the best sign for a start would be signing a ceasefire agreement, on ending all hostilities, which implies the disarmament of Serbian paramilitary formations and Croatia's obligation that it will not undertake military operations against the UNPAs. President Tudjman added that Croatia proposes gradual building of confidence for the normalization of the all-comprising relations. The first steps for that would include opening roads and railways, President Tudjman said expressing his belief that as early as this month he will arrive to Slavonski Brod County via Okucani. "All other developments would be in contradiction with the demands of the times, the interest of both Croatia and that part of the Serbian population in Croatia, as well as with the interests of Serbia and peace in this part of the world," President Tudjman said explaining that those people really lie with a totally distorted picture that Croatia threatens them with extinction and that they cannot expect anything good. At the end of his interview President Tudjman asked the media to write and speak about the problems of the normalization of the relations within Croatia even more intensively, to bring examples about the participation of Serbs in the Croatian administration and in the Croatian army. Dr.Tudjman also said that it is important to inform about the fact that Serbs have their representatives in the Croatian Parliament, in the Govt., the Supreme and Constitutional Courts. "That is something the Serbian population in UNPAs are ignorant about and that is why extremists managed to delude and prevent those who were really on the line of the political solution," President Tudjman said adding: "we are also interested in convincing the Croatian people that because of the Croatian interests, respect and position in the world, and that we want to reach a political solution and that as a sovereign, independent internationally recognized and respected state Croatia can allow itself a fully democratic and wide relations even with those Serbs who were brought to the war against Croatia by mobilization or delusion." (End) m-vk 022208 MET nov 93