UNTAES ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL UN OPERATIONS

( Editorial: --> 7565 ) NEW YORK, May 29 (Hina) - The United Nations Transitional Administration of Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) was one of the most successful operations in the history of the UN, it was judged at the end of a three day assembly of the highest UN officials responsible for peace-keeping missions, held in New York. The transitional administrators, generals Jacques Paul Klein and William Walker in their addresses at the meeting held from 26 to 28 May, stressed that one of the key elements of the UNTAES operation's success was good cooperation between transitional administrators and Croatian authorities. Reiterating the right of all persons to return, the Croatian Ambassador to the UN Ivan Simonovic said that international assistance was vital for the solution of the problem of Serbs to remain and Croats to return. Simonovic said the key element in solving the problem was reconstruction of the country. The international community has so far invested about US$3 billion into peace-keeping operations on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. If only a small part of this amount was to be - or is already - invested in the reconstruction and revival of the economy, numerous problems for which Croatian authorities were blamed would be easier solved, concluded Simonovic. Along with UN officials other participants were representatives of the European Commission, NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, high military officials and diplomats of the countries whose military units participated in UNTAES, representatives of international non-government agencies and non- government agencies of the Republic of Croatia. (hina) jn bag 292234 MET may 98