FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF ERDUT AGREEMENT MARKED

ERDUT, Nov 13 (Hina) - At a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Erdut Agreement, a Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Zeljka Antunovic, said on Monday she was in favour of the fulfilment of all commitments stipulated by that agreement and that priority should be given to the provision of economic and social security to inhabitants in the area covered by the Erdut accords. At the ceremony of the anniversary of the conclusion of the fundamental agreement on the peaceful reintegration of eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Sirmium into Croatia's constitutional and legal order, which was held today in Erdut, Antunovic said that "with every day Croatia is more and more a country where the law, human and civil rights are respected." She voiced hope that principles of peace, truth and justice would be the foundations for the honour of obligations from the Erdut agreement, which, according to Antunovic, had shown that most inhabitants in the area were aware of their responsibility for the future of their country and were ready to forgive and be reconciled with one another. Pointing to positive achievements of the Erdut agreement such as normalisation of the situation, returns of refugees and displaced persons and the enhancement of security conditions, the head of the UN liaison office with Croatia, Mandyhan Kishore, claimed that the recent arrests of war crimes suspects had disturbed the implementation of those achievements and for him it was still unclear which new evidence was used for that apprehension. I am not sure that private lists of war crimes and posters with titles "wanted dead or alive" are in compliance with law, Kishore said adding that the privatisation of justice was unacceptable, but he did not say what lists or posters he was speaking about. The head of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) mission in Croatia, Bernard Poncet, described the security situation in the area as good and the work of Croatian police as professional. He recalled that the civilian component of the OSCE mission would continue monitoring the situation. The Zagreb-based US Embassy charge d'affaires, Charles English, who is also a representative of the Commission of Article 11, said this commission would continue to supervise of the Erdut agreement's implementation as well as the process of reconciliation and return. He pointed to unsolved property issues and new investigations in war crimes, which, according to this US diplomat, were sometimes based on little evidence and which intensified fear about the imposing of collective guilt. County Prefects of Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Sirmium, Marko Bagaric and Petar Cobankovic respectively, cautioned that without ensuring brighter economic prospects, political prospects would also come into question for locals. Underlining that the Erdut agreement must totally be implemented a Sabor deputy and a representative of the Serb community, Vojislav Stanimirovic, said he could not be satisfied with the possibilities for the exercise of the highest civil and human rights in eastern Croatia and asked the Government to ensure better conditions, together with the international community, for this purpose. (hina) ms