SERB REBELLION PLANNED AS EARLY AS 1985, SAYS VJESNIK

ZAGREB, Apr 5 (Hina) - A secret organisation called the "Committee for Equal Rights of Serbs in Croatia" on Dec 24, 1985 issued a Proclamation calling the "Serb Orthodox population" in Croatia to "concord and unity," says publicist Josip Grbelja in an article titled "Serbian Secret Committee Plans Rebellion as Early as 1985," published in today's issue of the Vjesnik. "That document is of historic importance as it confirms that the "Serb Orthodox population" in Croatia did not rise up following the events that occurred in 1990 and 1991, but much earlier, as early as 1985," Grbelja writes. The first democratic elections in Croatia were held in 1990, and the Croatian Parliament proclaimed Croatia's independence in 1991. According to Grdelja, the Proclamation, which has been kept as classified archive material until recently, had been sent to several addressees in Drnis in 1985. A copy was shown to the chairwoman of the municipal Communist Party Committee, who referred it to a higher Party authority in Split as "strictly confidential.". The article carries ample citations of the Proclamation. Here are some highlights: "It is common knowledge that Yugoslavia cannot survive such as it is. None of the republics want a unitary Yugoslavia, which means that the only way is for Yugoslavia to split into 6 to 8 independent states. If that comes to pass, what will become of the Serb Orthodox population in Croatia?" In answer to this rhetoric question, the Proclamation offers three alternatives: coexistence with Catholic Croats, "autonomy within Croatia" and the possibility of the "Orthodox Serb population in Croatia" being deported, re-baptized and deprived of all human rights. "Coexistence is to be rejected," said the Proclamation, voicing doubts that the Serbs could achieve equal rights if they were a minority. Autonomy, too, was ruled out because "Serbs were living on the whole territory of Croatia". Therefore, the only likely possibility was the one involving deportation, baptism and deprivation of human rights. "Therefore, who can protect us from the onslaught of the black horders? What is to be done?" cries out the Proclamation, and answers: "Concord, unity and peace between the Serbs. Therefore we call upon you to gather the Serb Orthodox people together wherever they are." 051407 MET apr 94