SERAYDARIAN VISITS OSIJEK-BARANJA COUNTY

OSIJEK, Aug 26 (Hina) - During their tour to eastern Croatia, the head of the UN civilian administration in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Souren Seraydarian and the head of the Zagreb-based UN liaison office, Kisher Mandian, on Saturday were received by Osijek- Baranja County Prefect Marko Bagaric. The aim of our visit to Osijek county is to see what has happened here since the completion of the peaceful reintegration of Slavonia and Baranja into Croatia, said Seraydarian, who along with General Jacques Klein led the UN mission (called UNTAES) in eastern Croatia. When we were here we believed that there was a difficult and complex situation, but you can't imagine how it is really hard and complex in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Seraydarian said. After being informed of what has been done in Osijek-Baranja County and of the current state of affairs, Seraydarian expressed satisfaction with the progress. He commended the Croatian policemen who had done their job professionally and without emotion during the process of the peaceful reintegration. The UN representative saw that the developments in the Croatian Danube River Area depended now mostly on the economic recovery. He also wanted to know more about the exercise of the tenancy rights and the return of the private property. Josip Kompanovic, the leader of the Croatian returnees' association, responded that a Croatian Deputy Prime Minister, Zeljka Antunovic, had recently answered that question saying that the tenancy right existed no longer as a legal category and she asserted that the problem of the return of Serbs would be solved in other ways, in compliance with the law on the areas of the special state concern. Besides, the agency for the real estate management can play a great role, Kompanovic added. He cited a high unemployment rate and mines as huge problems. He said less than five percent of mine-infested areas in this war- stricken county had been cleared, and described this problem as a serious hindrance to the economic recovery and the population's safety. Kompanovic asked Seraydarian to remind Klein of his promise the American had given during his mission in the Croatian Danube River Area when he said that for each kuna the Croatian Government invest in the reconstruction of this region he would ensure another kuna from the world. "Now that other kuna would help us when the Croatian Government does not stand financially well," Kompanovic said. Prefect Bagaric informed Seraydarian that some 22,000 out of 33,000 displaced persons from this county, had come back to date. Commenting on the economic distress, he said Osijek-Baranja is placed as the third Croatian county according to the number of jobless. Only the war-hit Vukovar-Sirmium and Sibenik-Knin had more persons on the dole in comparison to Osijek County. A local official in charge of the reconstruction, Josip Skoric, asked Seraydarian and Klein to exert their influence in the implementation of the project 'Vc corridor' which links the Baltic and Adriatic and passes through this area. Skoric views the building of this road connection as a real chance for giving impetus to the economic development of countries where the highway should pass through. The United Nations Secretary-General's envoy and coordinator of UN's mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jacques Klein, along with Seraydarian and Mandian, should have visited eastern Croatia. Klein, however, was prevented due to sudden problems. General Klein, a one-time UN transitional administrator for eastern Croatia, landed on the Cepin airport, near Osijek, but then was called to return to Sarajevo immediately, Seraydarian said. (hina) ms