COMMISSION FOR THE MISSING DEMANDS REMAINS OF CROATS WHO DIED IN YUGOSLAV CONCENTRATION CAMPS

YUGOSLAV CONCENTRATION CAMPS ( Editorial: --> 2036 ) ZAGREB, Nov 19 (Hina) - The Croatian government's commission for detained and missing persons knows the burial places of Croatian citizens who were taken to prisons and concentration camps in Yugoslavia, commission head Ivan Grujic told Hina Wednesday. Grujic said Croatia was in possession of data and confirmations from witnesses stating that a certain number of people had been taken from Vukovar, eastern Croatia, to concentration camps and prisons in Yugoslavia, where they died. The commission believes the people were buried near Begejci, Stajicevo, Srijemska Mitrovica, Nis and Novi Sad. "The fact that we took over the remains of ten Croatian soldiers from those places, who were (later) identified and buried by their families (corroborates that)", Grujic said. "We are still trying to determine the exact burial ground of the others", he added. This issue, Grujic said, had been the focus of all meetings with Yugoslav representatives, and is the topic of one of the articles of an agreement signed by the Croatian and Yugoslav commissions for detained and missing persons. The two commissions adopted a conclusion on an unconditional turn- over of the remains which had been progressing very slowly. However results achieved to date were encouraging, Grujic said. This issue, the head of the Croatian commission said, had also been presented to the International Commission for tracing missing persons on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. We demanded that the Commission exert political pressure on Yugoslavia to comply with its commitment, he concluded. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Croatian Embassy in Belgrade yesterday laid wreaths at the graves of Croatian soldiers and policemen in Srijemska Mitrovica. (hina) ha jn 191623 MET nov 97