SIMONOVIC: INCREASING NUMBER OF SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR COMPLETION OF UN PREVLAKA MANDATE BY JULY 15

ZAGREB/NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Hina) - Commenting on the adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution extending the mandate of U.N. military observers on Croatia's southernmost peninsula of Prevlaka, Ivan Simonovic, Croatia's permanent representative at the United Nations in New York, has stated an increasing number of Security Council members believe the mission should be completed in six months. The Security Council has seriously considered arguments from our recent letter in which we requested that this be the last extension of the mandate. An increasing number of Security Council members believe the UNMOP mandate should end on July 15 this year, Simonovic said in a written statement issued after the U.N. Security Council adopted the resolution on Monday evening. Simonovic said he would prefer that the resolution was more explicit, however, changes in its text showed positive progress. The resolution does not state any more that the presence of the UNMOP is necessary for maintaining peace and security but uses the term important instead, Simonovic said, adding this was an important step towards an assessment that the U.N. presence was not needed at all, hopefully to be adopted on July 15. (hina) rml