LOCAL RESIDENTS HAVE SHOWN FAITH IN CROATIAN AUTHORITY - MORIC

( Editorial: --> 6589 ) VINKOVCI, Jan 23 (Hina) - The operation of buying off illegal weapons, ammunition and explosive devices which had been carried out in the Croatian Danube river region has ended. Police with warrants will now enter homes which are suspected of containing illegal weapons, Aide to the Croatian Interior Minister, Josko Moric, told the Vinkovci television. People who are found hiding weapons are to be prosecuted, Moric said, adding that police had received information about the possession of illegal arms from local residents, which had thus, he said, shown faith in Croatian authority. Moric stressed that since the end of the operation, police had found 23,023 pieces of ammunition, 59 hand grenades, 7.5 kilos of explosive, 68 different mines, 27 shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, 15 machine guns and five pistols. (hina) lm 231007 MET jan 98