U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UN VISITS VUKOVAR

VUKOVAR, July 20 (Hina) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, said on Sunday in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar that it was important that all people in the Croatian Danube area, regardless of their ethnic origins, should try to leave history behind and together accomplish the peaceful reintegration into Croatia as well as the bright future of the area. U.S. diplomat held a news conference at the UNTAES headquarters after his meeting with UN Transitional Administrator of the area, Jacques Klein, and newly-elected local authorities of Vukovar and eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Sirmium. Richardson stressed that local authorities in the area should begin functioning on the basis of democracy at a local level and on the basis of tolerance and respect for differences, which was, as he said, in the hands of those people. Both parties had to double efforts in cooperation and implementation of assumed obligations, Richardson added. Pointing out that in the past 15 months evident progress had been achieved in the peaceful reintegration, the U.S. Ambassador said that following two months in the process would be crucial. According to Richardson, what is about to happen in that period will not only determine the speed of transfer of authorities from UNTAES to Croatian authorities but will also impact greatly on U.S-Croatian ties. Therefore it was important that dislocated Croatians and Serbs come back to their homes in a considerable number, he told the conference. Richardson added that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman told him during their talks on Brijuni on Saturday that all Croatian Serbs who would like to return, including those from Bosnia-Herzegovina and FR Yugoslavia, could come back. The U.S. diplomat hailed the confirmation and said he was expecting its fulfilment. He added that the conduct of Croatia would be a test of its readiness to be included into Western institutions. Pointing out a role of the United States in the peace process in the Croatian Danube area, Richardson said that none of achieved successes could be possible without his country's help. On behalf of the U.S. Administration, he thanked Klein and UNTAES for a well done job. UNTAES was one of the best, and perhaps the very best UN mission we had now, Richardson said. Asked about Klein's departure, Richardson said that the exact date of Klein's transfer to Bosnia was yet to be determined and that in Croatia he would be replaced by a U.S. diplomat who had a good reputation. After Klein's departure UNTAES would be also strong and effective, Richardson added. U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, and Klein's deputy, Souren Seraydarian, participated in the Vukovar news conference. Galbraith read, as he said, Tudjman's message to Ambassador Richardson which confirmed the right of Serbs to the return, who would like to do so and who accepted the rights and responsibilities of Croatian citizenship. Responding to a journalist's question, Galbraith said that Tudjman and Richardson had not discussed implementation of the Amnesty Law yesterday, but he added that United States regarded the law's implementation as crucial to the peaceful reintegration. We would work along with the Croatian Government on that a clear and final list be drafted of people not covered by the Amnesty Law and that possible indictments be canalised through the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, Galbraith said. (hina) mš 201457 MET jul 97