REINTEGRATION OF MONEY TRANSFERS IN EASTERN CROATIA MARKED

( Editorial: --> 5061 ) ILOK, May 19 (Hina) - The first year since Croatia's currency, the kuna, was introduced as the legal means of payment in the eastern part of the country was marked in the town of Ilok Tuesday. When the kuna was introduced in eastern Croatia, the area was under United Nations transitional administration. The kuna substituted the Yugoslav dinar, used since the area was occupied by the former Yugoslav People's Army and Croatian Serb paramilitary units in 1991. According to head of the Money Transfers Bureau (ZAP) office in Vukovar, Josip Malkoc, upon coming to the eastern Croatian town in 1997 his staff took over 1,490 dinar drawing accounts and 61 employees. Twenty employees who worked in Vukovar before the war returned to their positions, while 13 resigned. There are currently 956 kuna accounts open in Vukovar's ZAP. Money transfers in eastern Croatia were reintegrated in the Croatian system in line with a decision by the then current UN transitional administrator for the area Jacques Klein. On May 9 Klein issued an order stating that as of May 19 the kuna was the legal means of payment in the area. All pays, prices, taxes, contributions and all other financial transactions are in line with that order, denominated and paid in kuna. (hina) ha jn /mrb 191804 MET may 98