NO AGREEMENT ON BOYCOTT OF SCHOOLS IN DANUBIAN AREA REACHED ( Editorial: --> 0874 )

( Editorial: --> 0874 ) VUKOVAR, Nov 14 (Hina) - Representatives of the Croatian National Trust Establishment Committee, Joint Council of (Serb) Municipalities, parents of Serb students in Croatia's eastern Slavonia region and UNTAES, failed to reach an agreement on ceasing the partial boycott of classes in primary and high schools in the U.N.-administered area. Deputy chairman of the National Trust Establishment Committee, Ivica Vrkic, suggested that the implementation of decisions adopted in Zagreb on 10 November be accelerated. The decisions stipulate that Serbs' requests be resolved. Dusan Jaksic, representing Serb parents, refused the suggestion. He said that the decision on when Serb children would begin attending classes would be reached within the next few days. Pupils of Serb nationality are boycotting classes at the request of their parents, whose demands include the replacement of non-Serb headmasters with Serbs, bilingual documentation, a moratorium on teaching 1989-1997 history and that Serb-language textbooks be delivered sooner. At Friday's meeting, Vrkic suggested that last year's textbooks be used until textbooks translated to Serbian are published. He also suggested that representatives of Croatian Serbs suggest translators for the textbooks and give their opinion on the content of textbooks which contain subjects relating to recent history. Vrkic also suggested that the appointments of school directors be reconsidered within eight days and that the right to classes in Serbian for pupils who want to attend these classes be implemented consistently. In a statement issued after the meeting, Croatian Assistant Education and Sports Minister, Bozica Simlesa, confirmed that the Ministry would implement all decisions reached at the 10 November meeting of the National Trust Establishment Committee, Education Ministry and Joint Council of Serb Municipalities under the UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia. According to these conclusions, bilingual seals should be delivered to and bilingual school building plaques put on schools in the Danube river region. The Serb cultural society 'Prosvjeta' should within a month at the latest choose translators of textbooks into Serbian, while current ones should be used in the meantime. The moratorium on teaching recent history will be complied with, while the headmasters issue will be discussed later. The participants of the meeting also concluded that classes should continue. Asked to comment on the self-appointed 'Council of Vukovar Parents', who reached the decision on the boycott, Simlesa said "the Croatian school system does not recognise any such organisations. It looks as if this council were ordering the Education and Sports Ministry what to do". Besides Vrkic and Simlesa, present at the meeting were deputy chairman of the National Trust Establishment Committee, Vojislav Stanimirovic, president of the Joint Council of Municipalities, Milos Vojnovic, head of UNTAES's civilian sector, Gerard Fischer, directors of some schools and representatives of Serb pupils' parents. (hina) lm jn 141743 MET nov 97