ARTICLE 11 COMMISSION VISITS VUKOVAR

VUKOVAR, May 27 (Hina) - The Croatian Danube River region does not differ from other Croatian regions in any way any more and it should not be treated as more important than other Croatian regions, said the president of the National Trust Establishment Committee, Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, on Thursday. Members of the Committee met today in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar with the Article 11 Commission, in order to inform them about the latest developments in the region. The Article 11 Commission is in charge of monitoring the implementation of an agreement on the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube River region. The National Trust Establishment Committee will continue working towards normalising life in the area, especially in those towns where problems with a "psychological dimension" are occurring and where mass graves are being discovered, Skare-Ozbolt said. Asked to comment on the indictments being issued following the adoption of the Amnesty Act, Skare-Ozbolt said one could not give up the right to criminally persecute war criminals. "Courts in the Croatian Danube River region, which have operated in the sense of amending the indictments, have acted on the basis of new evidence", she said, adding Croatia did not commit itself to consultations with The Hague Tribunal when issuing indictments, which was an "interpretation by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe". US Ambassador William Montgomery said the Article 11 Commission visited Vukovar in order to express its commitment to the process of return and reconciliation and become acquainted with the situation in the field. Members of the Commission today also met representatives of the Joint Council of (Serb-dominated) Municipalities and Croat returnees. (hina) rml