ZAGREB, 9 Jan (Hina) - The mayor of the eastern Slavonia town of Ilok, Stipan Kraljevic, on Wednesday sent a letter to the U.N. Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia, General Jacques Klein, in which he thanked him, on behalf
of the town of Ilok, for enabling Ilok displaced people to visit their town and take part in a Christmas Eve mass with other Catholic believers who remained in the town, as well as for enabling the first Croat displaced, priest Ferdo Posavac, to return to Ilok on 10 December 1996. Kraljevic expressed hope that all displaced Croats would soon be able to return to their town.
ZAGREB, 9 Jan (Hina) - The mayor of the eastern Slavonia town of
Ilok, Stipan Kraljevic, on Wednesday sent a letter to the U.N.
Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia, General Jacques
Klein, in which he thanked him, on behalf of the town of Ilok, for
enabling Ilok displaced people to visit their town and take part in
a Christmas Eve mass with other Catholic believers who remained in
the town, as well as for enabling the first Croat displaced, priest
Ferdo Posavac, to return to Ilok on 10 December 1996.
Kraljevic expressed hope that all displaced Croats would soon
be able to return to their town. #L#
Kraljevic also thanked Klein for his assistance in the
solution of a Christmas Eve incident which was caused by local Serb
extremists.
'....we came to Ilok to take part in a mass with a message of
Christmas tranquillity and a wish to return to our homes. We wish
the same to those who now live in our houses. Sadly, the events
that followed have shown us that many of those now living in our
homes do not want to participate in the process of peaceful
reintegration.
The greatest victim after the Christmas mass, is again the
remaining non-Serb population in Ilok. The Franciscan church of St.
Ivan Kapistran and its monastery were damaged and the process of
peaceful reintegration has come to a halt.'
Kraljevic asked from General Klein to protect remaining non-
Serbs in the area, their cultural and historical monuments and
social and private property.
He also asked Klein to take all necessary steps and apprehend
and punish organizers of and participants in terrorist attacks.
'It is the wish of all displaced people that you continue with
your program of peaceful reintegration and return of displaced
people to their homes during your mandate', the letter said.
'Since our expulsion on 17 October 1991, Serb extremists have
expelled some 1,300 persons and killed other 49 in the areas of
Ilok, Bapska, Sarengrad and Mohovo. During that period, local Serb
authorities and police did nothing to apprehend a single
perpetrator. Those same people are still holding responsible posts
in local administration and police and many of them are receiving
salaries from the Croatian government', said the letter.
(hina) rm
091235 MET jan 97