LOCAL SERB TV STUDIO TO BROADCAST ITS PROGRAM ON CRO TELEVISION

( Editorial: --> 2480 ) VUKOVAR, 5 Jan (Hina) - Croatian Radio Television (HRT) General Director Ivica Mudrinic met for talks with local Serb representatives in Vukovar on Monday. The talks focused on the reintegration of electronic media from the Croatian Danube river region into Croatia's media sector. The two sides agreed that Croatian Television's (HTV) second channel would broadcast a half-hour program from the television station TV Dunav every working day at 6 pm, as of 9 January. It was also agreed that TV Dunav would broadcast an hour-long program on the second HTV channel on weekends, at the beginning of broadcasting, Mudrinic said after the talks, which were held behind closed doors. All employees in local television stations in Beli Manastir and Vukovar would continue to work, but in an integral and independent company which would be called Televizija Dunav, the HRT General Director said. Vojislav Stanimirovic, a local Serb representative, said that the local population had no reason to be dissatisfied with the agreement since HRT's general director and his associates were willing to offer help. "We have been given the opportunity to create a television program from this area in a TV studio which will be called Televizija Dunav, and which will consist of Vukovar and Beli Manastir studios," said Stanimirovic. Commenting on the omission of the adjective 'Serb' from the name 'television', Stanimirovic said that as a member of the National Trust Establishment Committee he would continue to contribute to the disappearance of national rhetoric from TV studios. He added he hoped that other TV studios in Croatia would follow the same practice. The program of Televizija Dunav will be oriented towards establishing trust in the interest of all people who live in the Danube river region, said Milan Trbojevic, president of the Information Committee of the Joint Council of (Serb-dominated) Municipalities. Today's agreement would be confirmed with a special contract and TV Dunav would be registered as a self-financed company. Apart from high HRT representatives, today's talks in Vukovar were also attended by the Vukovar and Osijek county prefects and a representative of the UN Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES). (hina) jn rm 052039 MET jan 98