CROAT PRESIDENT'S INTERVIEW WITH GERMAN 'GENERAL ANZEIGER' DAILY

ZAGREB, May 16 (Hina) - Ahead of his visit to Bonn on Tuesday Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman gave an interview with German daily "General Anzeiger" under the headline "Croatia Wants to Reintegrate Occupied Areas Peacefully." At the beginning the interview revolved around the relations between Croatia and Germany. President Tudjman described the relations as very good, and emphasized Germany's support to Croatia at the moment when his country, still not recognized, had been exposed to aggression. Asked about recent developments in western Slavonia, President Tudjman said: "There was no deliberate provocation of war. That was only a limited action taken by our police and army. The action followed terrorist attacks on the highway, which were aimed at suspense of the traffic... The result of the action was the liberation of western Slavonia." Asked about accusations that Croatia allegedly violated human rights in western Croatia, President Tudjman said: "Both I and the Croatian public were very outraged at that. Besides, we knew those were blatant lies," he said and added that correspondents of world media and many diplomatic missions' chiefs could witness on the spot how Croatian liberating forces behaved. The statements given by Serb residents in talks denied all those lies about the so-called 'ethnic cleansing' and allegations about human rights' violations. Tudjman believed that UN officials, situated in Zagreb, deliberately launched such lies. None of them had been on the spot. Some of the international media including German, unfortunately, accepted such misinformation, he added. Thus, the media, unintentionally, did not inform correctly the world public of the facts. The victims of such delusion were not only the media but also the UN Security Council, which was more detrimental, according to Tudjman. Asked whether the liberation of western Slavonia increased prospects for the peaceful solution Tudjman said: "Western Slavonia is the proof that Croatia has potential and will protect all its citizens and guarantee them normal peaceful life, before the eyes of the world public." Western Slavonia served as a model for how Croatia could reintegrate efficiently and humanly its occupied areas, guaranteeing all human and ethnic rights to Serb residents. They could decide freely whether they would remain in Croatia or leave it," Tudjman said. Croatian President also replied to several questions about the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and about the realization of Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. "Despite all efforts of the UN and EU, the Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina is still exposed to the Serbian aggression. The so- called Serb republic is receiving strong support from Serbia in various ways," President Tudjman said. "Croatia abides by its view that all should be done in order to stop that terrible war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and to find a political settlement, acceptable for all three constituent peoples. This is the prerequisite of a new world order in the former Yugoslavia," he added. Speaking about the Washington Accords Tudjman said the signatories of the Accord, Croat (Catholic) and Bosniac (Moslems) representatives, had already carried out many efficient projects aimed at the implementation of the Accord. "Disagreement (in the implementation of the Bosnian Federation) resulted from activities of extremists in both sides. However, circumstances also play an important role" he added. Tudjman said Croatia would do its best to eliminate causes of any disagreement. "I hope that both sides, Moslems and Croats, have understood that there is only one way out from that situation - which is Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the confederation," he said adding that this way was offered to Serbs as well. "We undertake every efforts to carry out this project. I am sure that only it paves the way for the Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina along with Croatia toward Europe where both countries belong to," President Tudjman said. (hina) jn mms 161945 MET may 95