CROATIA CALLS ITS EMIGRANTS TO RETURN TO HOMELAND

ZAGREB, Nov 10 (Hina) - Croatia's Foreign Minister Mate Granic delivered medals to 32 Croatian prominent returnees, at a dinner in honour of Croatian returnees from immigration, held at Hotel Intercontinental on Saturday evening. The 32 returnees were decorated by Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman, at the Statehood Day this year, for their outstanding contribution to the creation and defence of the sovereign and independent Croatian state. Addressing more than 400 guests, including politicians, religious dignitaries and other public figures, Croatia's minister of migrant affairs, Marijan Petrovic said Croats had now their own democratic and sovereign state where they could come back from the world. Minister Petrovic spoke about importance of the return of Croatians to their country and reminded them of President Tudjman's warning that there would be no demographic revival of Croatia without the return of Croatian emigrants. On behalf of President Tudjman, Foreign Minister Granic addressed the meeting. "Croatia is now an independent, sovereign state and a full member-country of the Council of Europe. And very soon, it will be part of the European integration processes, and no one can us prevent in that," Granic said. Speaking of efforts made to achieve the statehood of Croatia, Granic said "no one can push us any more into the Balkan and southeastern associations. That was a thing of the past for Croatia. It (Croatia) is part of Europe and can give much to Europe." He added that they all had the task to create better conditions for the return of the Croatian emigrants, and to remove a great deal of the red-tape in the process of repatriation. Croatia's Defence Minister Gojko Susak, who had lived many years abroad, also addressed the dinner. Minister Susak spoke about the great contribution of the Croatian diaspora to the defence of Croatia, and confirmed that by an example of six Croatian Army generals, present at the dinner, who had come from abroad to defend their homeland. He told the guests that all of them had the task to make Croatia into the a law-governed and prosperous country, and to guarantee to everyone equal rights. He called on Croatian emigrants to come back. A returnee, Ivo Butkovic, thanked for medals on behalf of the decorated persons. (hina) mš 101035 MET nov 96