OSCE IS READY TO TAKE OVER PEACE MISSION IN EASTERN CROATIA

( Editorial: --> 5007 ) VUKOVAR, Oct 2 (Hina) - The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is ready to fully take over on October 16 the peace mission in eastern Croatia from the UN civil police support group, head of the OSCE Coordination Centre in Vukovar Pierre Peeters told reporters on Friday. Peeters also introduced OSCE's new police commander, Deklan Brogan from Ireland, who already stayed in the Danube river region of eastern Croatia in 1996/97 as UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem (UNTAES) assistant police commander. Brogan told reporters that about 120 OSCE civil policemen for eastern Croatia were ready to take over their duty. Some have already arrived while the rest is undergoing preparations in Vienna. He announced that a part of UN's current policemen in the area would join OSCE's civil police, but stressed that, like the newcomers, they came from OSCE member-countries. Speaking about the OSCE police's mode of work in eastern Croatia, Peeters said OSCE's police component would function separately and independently from the civil component. The aim is to achieve a better quality and more effective peace mission and a better overview of the situation on the ground, he said. The take-over of the peace mandate from the UN civil police support group will take place on October 15 as planned. The length of the OSCE civil police mandate is part of the OSCE mission in Croatia mandate which ends by year's end, Peeters said. He explained a possible extension of the mandate would be decided on after the negotiations currently being held between Zagreb and the OSCE headquarters in Vienna. Peeters also commented on an incident which took place at the Fifth Elementary School in Vukovar on September 30, when an eighth grade pupil of Serb nationality insulted and harassed second grade pupils of Croatian nationality. It was a serious incident which the OSCE condemns, Peeters said, but added it was best to wait for the results of a police investigation. Reporters inquired why the OSCE staff had not intervened in the incident as they had done in some previous instances of disturbances of the citizens' peace and security in eastern Croatia. Peeters said the OSCE mandate does not envisage taking over and performing tasks belonging to the police and judicial bodies. The OSCE is following the situation, he said, adding perhaps the best answer was the stance of Croatian Assistant Interior Minister Josko Moric, who on several occasions said that the security situation in eastern Croatia was stable and that most of the alleged incidents were in truth just verbal conflicts. Peeters believed the elementary school incident should be discussed by local authorities and the National Trust Establishment Committee. Unfortunately the Committee has not convened in three months, he added. Peeters said it would be wrong to draw any political conclusions from the incident, adding that it should be viewed exclusively as an isolated case. Also attending the conference was the OSCE mission to Croatia spokesman Mark Thompson. (hina) ha 021531 MET oct 98