JEWISH COMMUNITY'S PUBLIC STATEMENT

ZAGREB, Nov 5 (Hina) - The Jewish Community of the Zagreb municipality issued a public statement in the form of a letter written by the Coordinating Committee of the Jewish Communities in Croatia on October 29 and forwarded to the President of Croatia, the President of the Republic of Croatia, the President of the Upper House of the Republic of Croatia, and the President of the Govt. of the Republic of Croatia. The Jewish Communities of Croatia appeal to the above leaders and institutions to reexamine the decision on introducing "kuna" as Croatian currency and the proposal that the remains of the victims of Communism be transferred from Bleiburg to Jasenovac (Ustashi concentration camp from the 2nd World War). They also pointed to unacceptable changes of names for some streets, schools, shops, etc. Recalling the "democratic identity of the Republic of Croatia and the Anti-fascist traditions confirmed in the preamble of the Constitution," the letter states: "Kuna was never a currency, before or after - except in Ustasha's Independent State of Croatia - and in that way it became one of the characterisitc symbols of that state, (...) therefore, we appeal to the President of the Republic to use his constitutional rights not to sign the decree sanctioning this law and to the Parliament to reconsider this decision and to change it." In reference to "the announced wish to transfer the earthly remains of the victims from Bleiburg and the 'Way of the Cross' fallen after W.W.II to the area of the Ustasha's concentration camp at Jasenovac where about 18,000 Jews were killed," the letter states: "We are convinced that all victims deserve respect, even those from Bleiburg, but we cannot forget that among them, among many innocent, there were those who were killing in Jasenovac." The letter also quotes the examples of unacceptable renamings and warns that the demolished "memorial the over the pit in the former concentration camp at Jadovno where over 1,500 Jews were executed". "We are worried by the repeated attempts in the contemporary publicistic and school books to revise parts of the recent history with the intention to rehabilitate the Ustasha's Independent State of Croatia" the letter by the Jewish Community states and appeals to the Croatian leaders to undertake measures to alleviate and prevent further damages. "We repeatedly emphasise our solidarity as citizens of the Republic of Croatia with its independent and democratic identity and development in the same way as we shared the joy on the occasion of its creation and its sorrow and suffering during this horrible war against our country," concludes the letter signed by Dr.Ognjen Kraus. (End) j-vk 051650 MET nov 93