HDZ & SDSS OVERCOME CRISIS IN VUKOVAR CITY COUNCIL

( Editorial: --> 8642 ) ZAGREB, June 3 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Serb Independent Democratic Party (SDSS) have agreed on a compromise on the national composition of employees in the Vukovar city administration. The agreement has put an end to a two-month break in the work of the Vukovar City Council, after SDSS councillors boycotted its sessions, dissatisfied with the number of Serb employees in the city administration. HDZ and SDSS leaders discussed this problem behind closed doors in Zagreb today. HDZ general-secretary Ivan Valent and SDSS president Vojislav Stanimirovic described today's meeting as "open, constructive and useful". Stanimirovic explained that a compromise had been found between the Croat proposal that Serbs be employed with the city administration in line with the 1991 census and the Serb request that their number be in accordance with the results of the 1997 elections. Twenty-five Croats and eight Serbs are currently working in the city administration. The classification of jobs will be considered and vacancies will be announced and we hope that several more Serbs will be employed, Stanimirovic said. It is said unofficially that Serbs expect four or all five vacancies to be filled by Serb employees. HDZ's Valent said it was agreed that Croats and Serbs in the Vukovar City Council hold joint and not separate meetings with international representatives in the future. He added that this might contribute to the establishment of trust. The two sides also agreed that future problems would be solved on the county level. Asked to comment on the open letter by the Serb parliamentary representative Veselin Pejnovic, published in the daily "Vecernji list" on June 2, who said that Stanimirovic knew "a lot more" about the mass execution of the wounded from the Vukovar hospital in Ovcara in 1991, Stanimirovic said the letter was "full of insinuations and slander" which he did not want to comment on. (hina) jn rml/bag 031756 MET jun 98