NATIONAL TRUST ESTABLISHMENT COMMITTEE REPS VISIT BELI MANASTIR

( Editorial: --> 7669 ) BELI MANASTIR, Sept 2 (Hina) - Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, president of the National Trust Establishment Committee, on Wednesday visited Beli Manastir (eastern Slavonia), where she held a working meeting with the municipal leadership. The meeting focused on current problems in Beli Manastir. The newly-elected town mayor Simo Stupar informed the session that he and his deputies Zoran Ognjenovic and Josip Kompanovic had taken over their offices two days ago. Along with their offices, the new town leadership have also taken over tasks the former leadership had failed to carry out, Stupar said. The main problems plaguing the town leadership are lack of money in the town budget, a surplus of employees in the town administration and poor communal infrastructure. Today's meeting in Beli Manastir was also attended by Skare- Ozbolt's deputies - Assistant Interior Minister Josko Moric, Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) president Vojislav Stanimirovic, Osijek County Prefect Srecko Lovrincevic and the president of the county Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) committee, Branimir Glavas. The security situation in Baranja is satisfactory and has been improving since January, when Croatia took over authority from the UNTAES, Moric said. A report released by the U.N. and OSCE monitoring missions two days ago bear witness to that fact, he added. Commenting on an objection by the president of the Croatian Association of Serb Refugees and Returnees, Djuro Kresovic, concerning the eviction of displaced Serbs as well as alleged cases of murder and wounding, Skare-Ozbolt said that such off-hand judgements and false claims did not contribute to the establishment of trust in the area. She called on Serb representatives to cooperate more closely with the regional office for displaced people and refugees and the Croatian police. Vojislav Stanimirovic, president of the SDSS main committee, presented conclusions the committee adopted last week concerning the exclusion of some SDSS members from its branch in Beli Manastir due to violation of the party policy. On August 21, Beli Manastir town councillors gave a voice of no confidence in mayor Veljko Bertic, an SDSS member, following objections by the SDSS branch in Beli Manastir. A week later, the town council unanimously elected Simo Stupar (SDSS) the new mayor, following a proposal by the SDSS from Beli Manastir. The election of mayor and deputy mayor Zoran Ognjenovic was not supported by the SDSS main committee, which is headed by Vojislav Stanimirovic. What is important for the National Trust Establishment Committee and residents of Beli Manastir is for the town council to operate normally, Skare-Ozbolt said. The main task of the town council is to create better living conditions for all citizens, she added calling on SDSS, HDZ and independent councillors to actively participate in solving citizens' problems. (hina) rml 021901 MET sep 98