MURDERED CROATIAN POLICEMEN IDENTIFIED - INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

( Editorial: --> 1868 ) OSIJEK, June 17 (Hina) - The investigation into the murder of two Croatian police officers on the Croatian-Yugoslav border is continuing, but on Wednesday new contacts are expected between the Interior Ministry and Yugoslav officials, Zeljko Vajda, an official in the Osijek-Baranja County police said on Wednesday. The Croatian police officers were killed in gunfire which started during their regular border patrol on the Danube after they discovered a group which had illegally crossed the Croatian border. Four Yugoslav citizens were wounded in the gunfire, and according to unofficial information they are in a hospital in Sombor, Serbia. Croatian police will request additional explanations on this event from Yugoslav officials. They will also request them to return the boat which the killers stole and escaped with to the Yugoslav bank of the Danube. Vajda could not confirm unofficial information that the killed police officers are Nedjeljko Kocijan and Milan Arambasic, but the forensic medicine expert at Osijek Hospital, Dr Mladen Marcikic, confirmed to Hina the identity of the killed police officers following an autopsy. Vajda said the perpetrator or perpetrators were still unknown. He said that the incident occurred in the area which is unpopulated on the Croatian side. It is suspected that the killers came to the Croatian bank to steal wood, added Vajda. (hina) jn bag/rml 171655 MET jun 98