CROATIAN SERB LEADER HOLDS NEWS CONFERENCE IN BELGRADE

BELGRADE, June 24 (Hina) - The Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) president, and a Croatian Parliament House of Counties member, Vojislav Stanimirovic, held a news conference about the UN-administrated Croatian area, at Belgrade on Tuesday. Stanimirovic said that most of new bodies of authority had been constituted in eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Sirmium, following the April elections, and "technical" coalition for the division of power had been set up in the towns of Vukovar and Beli Manastir as it was the stand and request of the international community. He added that some steps forward were made in employment of a local population and that health insurance and education funds could be expected to re-function. He cited the return of all refugees as the chief problem. For the time being people were returning only to the so-called pilot villages and towns, whereas mutual trust had not been established yet, and the return proceeded slowly, Stanimirovic said. "By introduction of kuna (the Croatian currency), the 'Region' is orientated toward Croatia, but there are problems in circulation of goods and passengers, so that the region is under threat of isolation," Stanimirovic said using the word 'Region (Oblast)' to name Croatia's eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Sirmium, which Croatian Serb rebels also used referring to those areas when they were under their control. Speaking about the schooling system, he said that the Croatian Parliament passed a law on education which was in line with European principles on human rights. He added that Serbs in eastern Slavonia were expecting the help, first of all, in financing school text-books so that they could exercise their rights in education and culture. He added that the fate of three faculties (established during the Serb rebels' occupation) was uncertain, and said that it would be good to find a solution which would enable the enrolled students to finish their high education or at least a thousand of undergraduates should move to faculties in Belgrade and Novi Sad (Yugoslavia). Asked whether customs services would be introduced at the border with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, he responded that Croatia wanted to begin applying its own laws soon, and added that he believed that a transitional period would be necessary at least until September 15. Asked to comment on the Yugoslav Army chief-of-staff Momcilo Perisic's statement that Yugoslavia would not consent to demilitarisation of areas from both sides of the border, Stanimirovic said that such demilitarisation was the request of the international community, and he believed that the request would be fulfilled. Stanimirovic said that the list of Serbs who would not be granted amnesty was being revised, and he expected that less than ten percent of 148 names on the list would remain on it. Asked when Croatians would return to Ilok (the first town from where the then JNA army evicted Croatians) Stanimirovic answered that it depended on the return of Serbs to western Slavonia. (hina) jn mš 241854 MET jun 97