ASSISTANT INTERIOR MINISTER DJUKIC BURIED

OSTROVO, Jan 3 (Hina) - An assistant to Croatian Interior Minister, Dragan Djukic, was buried on Sunday at a local cemetery in Ostrovo near Vinkovci, eastern Croatia. Deputy Interior Minister and the head of the Minister's cabinet, Zlatko Gledec and Zdravko Zidovec respectively, were present at Djukic's funeral, on behalf of the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The president of the Joint Council of the (Serb-populated) Municipalities, Milos Vojnovic, delivered a speech pointing to the late Djukic's contribution to the success of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region. Vojnovic added that thanks to his work Djukic was held in high esteem by the Serb people of whom he was a part. Mirko Tankosic and Ivica Vrkic, who had cooperated with Djukic during the peaceful reintegration process, were also present. Dr. Vojislav Stanimirovic, the Serb Independent Democratic Party (SDSS) President and Djukic's close friend, as well as the Yugoslav consul in Vukovar, Aleksandar Besarabic, attended the burial. Djukic committed suicide on January 1, in his own house in Vukovar, in the presence of his wife and Dr. Vojislav Stanimirovic. He was appointed Assistant Interior Minister on June 5, 1997. (hina) ms/lml