ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - The book "East of the West", written by Ivica Vrkic, the former head of the Croatian government Office of the Temporary Administration for the Establishment of Croatian Authority in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja
and Western Srijem, was presented in Zagreb on Thursday. As the subtitle of the book says, the book contains "Political travel records through the Croatian East," was written in the manner of a confession-chronicle and included the whole period of peaceful reintegration from 18 December 1995 to 8 June 1997 when Croatia returned to Vukovar by the "Train of Peace".
ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - The book "East of the West", written by Ivica
Vrkic, the former head of the Croatian government Office of the
Temporary Administration for the Establishment of Croatian Authority in
Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem, was presented in Zagreb on
Thursday.
As the subtitle of the book says, the book contains "Political
travel records through the Croatian East," was written in the manner of
a confession-chronicle and included the whole period of peaceful
reintegration from 18 December 1995 to 8 June 1997 when Croatia returned
to Vukovar by the "Train of Peace". #L#
The peaceful reintegration had been a complex and difficult
process, but despite all that, Vrkic had gathered strength for a high-
quality and sincere cooperation with UNTAES, Transitional Administrator
Jacques Klein said at the presentation, stressing that Vrkic had often
known how to solve problems even before they had been noticed by UNTAES.
Klein pointed out that the process of peaceful reintegration was
not yet completed, because after the military component left, a new
chapter ensued, which was social reintegration and co-existence.
Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Kostovic said Vrkic's book was
important both as a document and as personal work of the author. The
book contained a lot of interesting information about what had happened
"behind closed doors", including relevant documents and reports of the
UN and other institutions, he said.
Croatian President's Deputy Chief-of-Staff Vesna Skare-Ozbolt said
that, despite strong emotions evoked by the war and Serb aggression,
Croats had accepted the peaceful reintegration. She stressed that the
international community mission in the Croatian Danube river region was
one of the few which had been able to achieve positive results instead
of just keeping the status quo.
Recalling problems he had faced as chief of the Croatian government
office for the establishment of Croatian authority in the Danubian area,
Vrkic expressed satisfaction with the achieved result.
(hina) lm jn
031538 MET jul 97