CRO AMBASSADOR TO UN WRITES TO THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON, June 19 (Hina) - Croatian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ivan Simonovic, has responded to recent reports by The New York Times on Croatia with a letter to the editor. Ambassador Simonovic has said that some of the issues raised in the reports in which the status of Serbs was mentioned, needed to be clarified. In the letter, the Croatian Ambassador has stressed that "an ethnic-based nomer for Serbs who took part in the aggression against Croatia is prejudicial to the Serbs who did not, and should be avoided." "Not all Serbs took up arms against Croatia - tens of thousands stood in the defence. About 145,000 Serbs have lived in the free parts of Croatia throughout the war, with lives no different than those of their non-Serb neighbours," Simonovic wrote in the letter which Croatia's permanent mission to the UN released in New York on Wednesday. He added that "five Serbs served in the last Sabor (Croatian parliament) - three under a minority quota. Two Serb parties operated in Croatia without any hindrance. Various Serb institutions continued to receive financing from the Government. Serbs worked in the government, universities and media. Nine thousand Serbs served in the Croatian armed forces (2.5% of total). Therefore, an ethnic-based nomer for Serbs who took part in the aggression against Croatia is prejudicial to the Serbs who did not, and should be avoided." The ambassador pointed out that there were various interpretations of the number of Serbs in Croatia, now and prior to the war. "About 600,000 Serbs lived in Croatia prior the war. Roughly one quarter sided with the Government and continued to live in the free parts of Croatia. Roughly one quarter moved out of Croatia in 1990-91 as part of the Belgrade-inspired exodus.." he wrote and added that approximately one quarter left the country after Flash and Storm operations in 1995, while one quarter stayed or moved into eastern Slavonia. Responding to attempts to portray Croatia as an ethnically pure state, Simonovic wrote that "every tenth citizen of Croatia is neither a Croat nor a Serb (450,000)," and added that "not one minority group, other than the former rebels, have had any problems with the Government." (hina) jn mš 191602 MET jun 97