TUDJMAN AND WALKER DISCUSS PEACEFUL REINTEGRATION

( Vidi vijest: 4908 ) ZAGREB, Oct 22 (Hina) - Croatia said on Wednesday it would speed up all steps necessary for the success of the peaceful reintegration of its UN-administered Danube river region to ensure a positive report of the UN Security Council in November and to create conditions for the termination of the UNTAES mandate. "There are still some things to be done and in that sense we will speed up all the steps to the maximum, particularly the two-way return of refugees, the establishment of trust and even greater security in the Danube region, and the return and efficient work of local government bodies, especially in Vukovar," Vesna Skare- Ozbolt, president of the national committee in charge of implementing the government programme aimed at restoring inter- ethnic trust, told reporters in Zagreb after a meeting of Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and UN Transitional Administrator William Walker. Walker described the meeting with Tudjman as very positive, stressing that he won assurances that the Croatian government would do its utmost to ensure the successful completion of the peaceful reintegration process. He pledged UNTAES's cooperation in efforts to achieve that goal. Speaking of the steps that had been taken to enable the return of refugees to that region, Skare-Ozbolt said that the reconstruction of the villages in the so-called Srijem triangle should be completed before the end of November when displaced Croats would begin returning on a more massive scale. The first apartments in Vukovar, rebuilt by the Croatian government with the assistance of the European Union, would be opened next week, she added. In response to a question on the possibility of the UNTAES mandate being extended, Walker said that the issue would be discussed by the Security Council around December 8. The process of establishing trust includes serious issues which require some thinking and planning, Walker said. However, the national committee for implementing the trust establishment programme has been set up and that process has begun, he added. Skare-Ozbolt emphasised that even after the termination of the UNTAES mandate, the Croatian government will continue implementing everything that has been achieved with UNTAES regarding the two-way return of refugees and the restoration of trust in the Danube region. "This was a successful and useful meeting which reflected the (UN) presidential statement which evaluated all the successes so far achieved by the Croatian government in successfully resolving the peaceful reintegration issue," Skare-Ozbolt said. The meeting between Tudjman and Walker included, besides Skare- Ozbolt, presidential advisers on home policy and national security Ivic Pasalic and Luka Bebic. (hina) vm 221515 MET oct 97