TRANSITIONAL POLICE BEGIN TO TAKE OVER CHECKPOINTS

VUKOVAR, Sept 1 (Hina) - Transitional Police Force (PPS) and the UNTAES Civil Police began on Monday to take control over check-points on the former lines of separation in the Croatian Danubian area from UNTAES military forces. The process should be completed by September 15 on all check-points. By then, troops would withdraw from the check-points which would only consist of one ramp and a prefab, but the transition regime would not be changed, UNTAES spokesman Philip Arnold said on Monday. #L# He said the take-over of check-points in Bilje, Nemetin and Klisa near Osijek had begun, but he had not commented on the dynamics of taking control of other check-points. Asked when the regime of entering the Croatian Danubian area would be liberalised, he said that the UNTAES and Croatian government held that the entering into the area still had to be controlled, because people who had arrived into the Danube river region had verbally disturbed the Serb population. Such incidents repeat several times a week, so the entering into the area still had to be controlled, Arnold said. Thousands of people had been entering the Croatian Danubian area in the last several months, and anybody with a good reason to enter, for example to reconstruct his house, can enter, Arnold said, adding that UNTAES had so far issued 1,500 to 2,000 passes for vehicles to enter the Croatian Danubian area. Asked to clarify the idea on 'reconciliation day', spoken about by UN Transitional Administrator for the Croatian Danubian area William Walker at a press conference in Belgrade, Arnold said it was not an idea of reconciliation between Croatia and Yugoslavia, but rather between nationalities in Croatia. One of the suggestions was that 12 November, the day of the signing of the Erdut Agreement, would be an appropriate date to celebrate reconciliation day, Arnold said. (hina) lm mm 011410 MET sep 97