2,400 UNTAES TROOPS LEAVE CROATIAN DANUBE RIVER REGION

KLISA, July 15 (Hina) - UNTAES military commander Major General Willy Hanset, UN Transitional Administrator General Jacques Klein and Croatian prime Minister Zlatko Matesa bade farewell to 2,4000 soldiers of the Pakistani and Jordanian UNTAES battalions and an Argentinean unit at the UNTAES headquarters at the Klisa airport. Present were also Croatian Defence Minister Gojko Susak, Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic, and ambassadors, including the US Ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith. #L# Greeting the UNTAES troops departing the Croatian Danube river region, General Hanset stressed that they had successfully completed their task, adding that they had literally worked every day on creating peace in the Danubian area. Klein recalled that during the past 18 months, UNTAES had done a lot. The area had been demilitarised, elections had been held successfully, and conditions had been created for the successful completion of the peaceful reintegration, he said. He announced the complete withdrawal of troops by the end of the UNTAES mandate and thanked the troops, the Croatian government, local residents and the Pakistani, Jordanian and Argentinean governments for everything they had done to maintain peace. Matesa stressed Tuesday's ceremony was primarily "the proof of the success of UNTAES," and recalled that "we have together passed a difficult, but successful path". "On behalf of the Croatian state and government, I commend you," Matesa told UNTAES troops, adding that "Croatia will continue to cooperate with the Transitional Administrator and to work on the successful completion of the process of peaceful reintegration to the benefit of all of its citizens". He congratulated officers and troops for medals they had received from Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. Soldiers of the Jordanian and Pakistani battalions and the Argentinean unit held a military parade and handed over the UN and their national flags to General Klein. Ukrainian aircraft flew over the area. Commenting the departure of 2,400 UNTAES troops, General Hanset told reporters that 2,500 troops remained in the area, but announced a decrease in the number. According to Hanset, by 15 October, 720 soldiers are to remain, whose task would be to organise the dismantling and carting away of equipment. By 15 January 1998, the military component would withdraw completely, Hanset said. Asked about who would supervise the separation zones, Hanset said that he had pulled out troops from the border between Yugoslavia and Croatia on 10 July, and by 15 August troops would completely withdraw from the separation zones, when the police would take over control. (hina) lm 151745 MET jul 97