PRESIDENT TUDJMAN'S CLOSING SPEECH

ZAGREB, Dec 7 (Hina) - The 2nd session of the Head Committee of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) ended on Saturday after a closing speech by HDZ president Franjo Tudjman. "This session has shown the unanimity of the party leadership," Tudjman summed up. "Differences in a party are not a weakness but a strength - the strength of the Croatian national revival which we have realised as no other nation has before us," Tudjman said, adding that it was an unprecedented phenomenon for all strata of society to be included in a national revival. Tudjman emphasised that HDZ had achieved the reconciliation of the Croatian people in the homeland and the diaspora. This programme had achieved a miracle - the creation of an army, a diplomacy, the introduction of the Croatian currency, the kuna, which had become very stable. "We were able to pursue this policy because we knew that the majority of the Croatian people was with us," Tudjman said, adding that HDZ had played a historical role. Referring to international circumstances and interests, Tudjman said Croatia would not reject the opportunity to play a positive role in the Balkans or in south-eastern Europe, but that it would not accept to be part of any regional association because it had been neglected for so long. "We are willing to play a positive role and set an example to other countries, but Croatia, as a Mediterranean, Catholic and central-European country, cannot again put its neck in any yoke," Tudjman said. He stressed that Croatia had considerably contributed to changing the strategic balance in this part of Europe. "By signing the Dayton Agreement, we have contributed to the realisation of the Bosnian Federation and we will do our utmost to realise it," Tudjman said, stressing that the Croatian people must enjoy equal rights in the Federation. Croatia had received guarantees from the United States for the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area, which was being carried out through Gen. Klein. However, there had been attempts recently to impose some different solutions, such as making the Croatian Danubian area into a multi-ethnic region etc. President Tudjman stressed that Croatia did not want all Serbs to leave the Danubian area. Those who recognised Croatia as their homeland and who had not committed any crimes could remain in Croatia. "We want elections in the Croatian Danubian area to take place at the same time as in other parts of Croatia," Tudjman said, adding that the elections should result in HDZ's victory, based on its achievements. HDZ's victory was necessary to gather the nation around a central policy, for if we did not have a central party, the very existence of the Croatian state would be in jeopardy, he said. Tudjman expressed the hope that opposition parties and the Croatian public would realise the gist of the problem and would act so as to preserve the Croatian national interest, and that all reasonable people, people of good will, would realise that we ourselves should decide on our fate, without foreign tutors. "Rejecting all the negative elements and accepting the positive elements of the Croatian history, we have created our own state which nobody can jeopardise from without," Tudjman said, adding that internecine conflicts and discord could jeopardise the Croatian state. This convention proved that HDZ was rooted in wisdom and knowledge, that we would be able to resolve all problems and preserve all that has been achieved, the thousand-year dream of our own state which has become reality, the HDZ president concluded. (hina) mm as 072222 MET dec 96