LOCAL ADMINISTRATION IN DANUBE REGION IS FUNCTIONING - VUKOVAR COUNTY

COUNTY $ PREFECT VUKOVAR, 17 Sept (Hina) - Vukovar-Srijem County leaders and mayors of Vukovar and Ilok on Wednesday refuted claims by Commission "Article 11", in charge of supervising the implementation of the Erdut agreement in line with the Agreement's Article 11, and local Serb representatives saying that the legal local bodies of authority in the Danube river region were not doing their job. "We cannot tolerate the ambassadors' fierce criticism of local authorities, considering the fact that they did not talk with any of the representatives of local authorities," County Prefect Rudolf Koenig stated, recalling a recent visit of Commission "Article 11" to the Danube river region. At a press conference held today in Vukovar, Prefect Koenig said that the leaders and members of all 12 municipalities and two towns in the UNTAES-administered Vukovar-Srijem County have been working every day in their offices for the past several months. Refuting claims that the local administration was not working due to a lack of money, Koenig said that since 30 June, when Vukovar-Srijem County sent money to the local bodies of authority for the first time, 2 678,000 kuna have been distributed equally in all 14 units of local authorities. The money had also been equally distributed in majority or 100% Serb municipalities as well, Koenig said. In the next several days, the Government would grant additional money, Koenig sad, adding that he expected that more state budget money would be set aside for the functioning of local authorities in the Danube river region in the next year. However, the local administration cannot function properly if citizens and companies are not paying their taxes, which is the case in the Danube river region, Koenig said. "This is the basic problem and I call on all residents in the Croatian Danube river region to accept municipalities and towns they live in as their own and to start paying taxes and other liabilities as it is the only way for the local self-government to start functioning fully. All Croatian citizens are doing it and so should those in the Croatian Danube river region," Koenig said. Out of 350 Serb employees who had been employed with the former illegal administration, some 250 Serbs had remained in the local bodies of authority. Those who remained without jobs would receive guaranteed minimum salaries for six months after which, in case they failed to find a job, they would have the same rights at the Employment Bureau as all other citizens, he said. Koenig warned that the displaced did not have permits for entering the area under U.N. transitional administration and cannot perform their duties in the local administration. The displaced were dissatisfied because of the slow pace of the return, Koenig said. Vukovar mayor Vladimir Stengl said that the town administration also had to cope with the problem of some 20,000 Vukovar residents who are still living in exile. Ilok mayor Stipan Kraljevic said that Ilok administration had closed all offices in exile and that he and members of Ilok leadership were living in Ilok as lodgers. "Some people see reintegration as the process of bringing money in, but we want the Croat displaced to return as well," Kraljevic said adding that the Serbs were deliberately hampering the return. (hina) jn rm 171559 MET sep 97