COLLECTED WEAPONS DESTROYED NEAR ZAGREB

ZAGREB, March 5 (Hina) - Forty-three firearms of various origin, collected through the Croatian Interior Ministry's "Farewell to Arms" action, were destroyed at the Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre (RACVIAC) in Rakitje near Zagreb on Tuesday. The weapons were destroyed as part of a March 4-7 RACVIAC seminar, "Regional Dialogue and Cooperation in Combating Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons." The participants in the seminar, 35 from 13 countries, personally took part in the destruction of automatic rifles, guns, and other weapons. This is the first seminar in this part of Europe to address ways of restricting trafficking in and the possession of small arms and light weapons. Participants come from the UN, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and include military and police officials. RACVIAC is a joint project of the Croatian and German governments. It was established last spring as part of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe as a centre for the education of personnel in the implementation of armament control agreements. (hina) ha sb