Letter: Destruction of Tito's legacy

Sir: It is not that Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman wears glittering uniforms like the Yugoslav leader Tito (leading article; "Curbing Croatia", 14 May) that should worry us. It is rather that Tudjman is playing a central role in destroying Tito's anti-fascist legacy and achievements. Tudjman's regime has adopted the ideology of the Hitler-backed Ustashe puppet state of Ante Pavelic.

That independent State of Croatia murdered tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians, Jews, Gypsies and Communists. It had a policy towards the Serbs of "convert a third, expel a third and kill a third".

Tudjman expelled 200,000 Serbs from their historic homes in Krajina. He has welcomed back fascists from exile including the last commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp. Now he wants to desecrate Tito's anti-fascist memorial at Jasenovac by commemorating dead Ustashe there alongside their victims.

Yet you advocate allowing Tudjman's regime to join the Council of Europe. There should be no question of letting such a regime into any institutions of democratic Europe.

Mike Gapes MP

(Telford South,

Lab)

House of Commons

London SW1