The ICFTU at 50 - special commemorative feature
ICFTU ONLINE... 217/991118/DD
Trade Unions in Montenegro and Croatia leading the conciliation process
Brussels, November 18 1999 (ICFTU OnLine): The ICFTU-affiliated Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (UATUC) and the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Montenegro (CITUM) are leading the way in the reconciliation of Croatia and Montenegro.
ICFTU President, Leroy Trotman, attended the reconciliation ceremony in Dubrovnik on November 11, where Danilo Popovic, CITUM President said that he regretted the shelling of Dubrovnik by Yugoslavia Montenegrin troops in 1992.
"Dubrovnik is a symbol of the tragic suffering inflicted on people because of aggressive nationalist policies… a symbol of the responsibility borne by those Montenegrins who associated themselves with those policies" said President Popovic. He stressed that the CITUM had spoken clearly against the aggression and had sought to protect those who had refused to be drafted into the Yugoslav National Army, or those who had deserted.
The reconciliation ceremony took place during a Conference of Libertas 99 - How to Enter the 21st century organised by UATUC jointly with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Hans Bockler Foundation. Danilo Propovic said that he saw his participation in Libertas 99, at the invitation of UATUC, as an opportunity to build mutual understanding and trust and to establish practical union co-operation which would promote the development of modern democratic societies, guaranteeing economic progress based on social justice.
The statement by President Propovic was very well received by the Croatian trade unionists, and ICFTU President Trotman praised the new co-operation between trade unions in the region.
Davoc Juric, President of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (UATUC), and Danilo Propovic developed a strong bond of friendship during the ICFTU mission to Montenegro in September 1999 which unanimously recommended the affiliation of CITUM to the ICFTU.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
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please contact: Luc Demaret on: 00 322 224 0212 - press@icftu.org