LOCAL HDZ: DOKMANOVIC'S ASSOCIATE CANNOT BE VUKOVAR DEPUTY MAYOR

( Editorial: --> 7433 ) VUKOVAR, July 13 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) branch in Vukovar on Monday announced it would request the Government to dissolve the town council and appoint its commissioner for Vukovar should the Serb Democratic Independent Party (SDSS) continue to obstruct the work of the town council. "The increasing demands of the SDSS have caused a political stalemate in the town council and if this situation continues, the HDZ will request a government commissioner because the town cannot function without local authorities," the president of the HDZ branch Petar Mlinaric told reporters at a special press conference. The immediate cause of the latest misunderstanding between the two parties was an announcement by the SDSS that it would propose Miroslav Keravica as deputy mayor. During the occupation of Vukovar, Keravica was its mayor. "The HDZ strongly believes that Miroslav Keravica cannot be deputy mayor," Mlinaric said. "That man was one of the closest associates of Slavko Dokmanovic and held the office of mayor during the occupation, when the town was on fire and when its residents were being expelled and killed in the most brutal way," he added. The SDSS committee confirmed the nomination of Keravica who should replace the incumbent deputy mayor Vaskrsije Vuksanovic. Vuksanovic told Hina that he was soon to move to Yugoslavia. According to Mlinaric, an additional problem is a request by the SDSS that another six Serbs be employed in the town administration. The HDZ has agreed to three new Serb employees at most, in line with its policy which says that the number of Serb employees in the town administration should be in accordance with the 1991 census. However, the SDSS is demanding that the number of Serb employees be in line with the current population ratio. (hina) as rml 131900 MET jul 98