The Initiative respects all national minorities in Vukovar and does not want to diminish the rights of any, its representatives told reporters on Saturday.
They also spoke of the collection of signatures for a referendum to change the law on the minorities' right to use their language and script so that it could be exercised by a majority which makes up more than 50 per cent of the local population.
"The European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities doesn't stipulate the share which members of a national minority must make in the overall population to be entitled to their language and script, but leaves it up to each state to legislate this," said the Initiative's lawyer, Vlado Iljkic.
He said a rigid application of a law was never good. "I think we can still solve this problem we have in Vukovar in talks with the national minorities and I'm calling on the government to help us in that."
Snjezana Patko of the Initiative said a sufficient number of signature for the referendum had not been collected yet but that it was proceeding well. She said "expected" provocation was occurring at some locations where the signatures were being collected and that they had been reported to the police.
She said 80 ethnic Serbs had signed for the referendum so far.
Two Ruthenians said this minority supported the Initiative and that it was against the government's attempts to introduce bilingualism in Vukovar. They said they were bothered when state officials spoke on behalf of the national minorities.