SARENGRAD ADA SARENGRAD, July 24 (Hina) - About 100 inhabitants of Sarengrad, a town near Ilok in eastern-most Croatia, on Thursday staged a peaceful rally on the right bank of the Danube, protesting over the still unsolved status of
Sarengradska Ada, an islet in the river.
SARENGRAD, July 24 (Hina) - About 100 inhabitants of Sarengrad, a
town near Ilok in eastern-most Croatia, on Thursday staged a
peaceful rally on the right bank of the Danube, protesting over the
still unsolved status of Sarengradska Ada, an islet in the river.
#L#
The islet covering some 10,000 square metres is registered in
Croatia's land books, but soldiers of Serbia-Montenegro have been
deployed there since 1991.
They do not allow local villagers to visit the islet. Everyone who
attempted to visit their lots and gardens on the islet has usually
been arrested.
In an incident a year ago, the then Yugoslav army nabbed 25
Sarengrad villagers and Vukovar-Sirmium County Prefect Nikola
Safer while they were on a tour to Ada.
"We do not want to prejudge a solution on the demarcation of the
inter-state borderline with Serbia-Montenegro, but we insist on
making it possible for civilians to enter Ada and on the withdrawal
of Serbian-Montenegrin soldiers," Safer said on Thursday.
Today's protest rally was organised by Sarengrad's council.
Ivan Mijic, one of the organisers, said that villagers did not wish
to politicise the issue but their intention was to send a clear
message to Croatian authorities that the eastern Croatian border
should finally be defined.
They also asked Zagreb to name one of Ilok's representatives into
the State Border Commission.
(hina) ms