SERBIAN PEOPLE'S PARTY HOLDS ANNUAL CONVENTION IN ZAGREB ( Editorial: --> 2930 )

( Editorial: --> 2930 ) ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - The Serbian People's Party (SNS) held an annual convention in Zagreb on Saturday. After the playing of the Croatian national anthem, SNS president Milan Djukic addressed the session, saying that his party would try to contribute to finding a permanent solution to the crisis in the former Yugoslavia and to resolving the status of the Serbian people in Croatia. Djukic said that the Croatian government was responsible for discrimination against the Serbs in exercising their political and economic rights and for violating their human and civil rights. Djukic said that there was no political will for resolving the status of the Serbian people in Croatia because the Croatian government considered that issue resolved. The SNS leader stressed that the Serbian people in Croatia could not accept the status of a national minority. "Croatia should recognise the cultural identity and political autonomy of the Serbian people with the right to self-determination without secession." Djukic said that the restoration of inter-ethnic trust was a condition for coexistence. "In order to achieve that, the equality of all citizens and the efficiency of the police and judiciary are necessary, and the Croatian people should take a stand on crimes committed over people of Serbian nationality," he added. The convention was attended by the Yugoslav charge d'affaires, representatives of the Russian and US embassies, the Romanian ambassador, EU monitor mission officials and representatives of political parties. (hina) vm 221540 MET nov 97