SIMONOVIC: END OF UNTAES MANDATE MARKS BEGINNING OF NEW PERIOD

( Editorial: --> 9851 ) WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Hina) - With the ending of the UNTAES mandate Croatia ends one important period in its history and begins another, Croatian Ambassador to the UN Ivan Simonovic said at a Security Council session on Friday. The council passed a resolution confirming the termination of the mandate of the UN Transitional Administration (UNTAES) in the Danube river region of eastern Croatia on January 15 next year. The previous period was characterised by the building of the state, the confirmation of long denied identity and mere survival. Now we are entering a period of development in which the quality of life for all Croatian citizens occupies the central place, Simonovic said. In this regard, Croatia will count on the support of the international community, he added. We hope that our cooperation will take on a new form, for example in the area of human rights, and we also hope that the policy of monitoring will be replaced with concrete technical assistance, the ambassador said. Simonovic said that the resolution, in its appeal for cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, failed to mention the responsibility of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), comprising Serbia and Montenegro, whose troops had been involved serious war crimes. Three Yugoslav military officers have been indicted by the tribunal for crimes committed in the Croatian Danube region and the FRY still refuses to hand them over, Simonovic said. He added that the resolution also failed to reflect the fact that the Serbs in the Danube region were not only reintegrating into Croatia, but also into the Serb community in Croatia. A significant segment of the Serb community has remained to live in Croatia, sharing the destiny and hardships of other citizens of Croatia. Former rebels should look upon that group as a bridge towards full reintegration into Croatian society and public life, Simonovic said. (hina) vm 201139 MET dec 97