$ YS ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - The problem of the Croatian Danubian area and its peaceful reintegration into Croatia's constitutional and legal system and the establishment of the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina are the main topics of
an interview between journalist Maja Freundlich and Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, published in today's issue of the Croatian daily 'VJESNIK'.
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$ YS
ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - The problem of the Croatian Danubian area
and its peaceful reintegration into Croatia's constitutional and
legal system and the establishment of the Federation of Bosnia-
Herzegovina are the main topics of an interview between journalist
Maja Freundlich and Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic,
published in today's issue of the Croatian daily 'VJESNIK'. #L#
According to the Basic Agreement on Eastern Slavonia, all
those Serbs from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, who settled in the
Croatian Danubian area, would have to return to their countries,
Granic said. The local Serbs from the Croatian Danubian area who
had not committed war crimes would be able to stay and they would
stay there, Granic added. The Serbs who had come there from western
Slavonia or from other liberated Croatian areas, would be able to
return to their homes or stay where they are now, but surely not in
Croat houses, Granic said.
Croatia's aim was to help Gen. Klein to successfully carry out
his mission under the U.N. Security Council Resolution so that the
Croatian Danubian area could be peacefully reintegrated into
Croatia in line with the Basic Agreement on Eastern Slavonia. For
the first time, Croatia had agreed to the international supervision
and that was because Croatia had nothing to fear any more. Croatia
wanted respect for human and minority rights, Granic said.
Asked what the guarantees were that the reintegration would be
carried out peacefully, Granic answered that the Croatian state
itself was the best guarantee.
Asked about the possibility of the local Serbs opposing the
implementation of the first stage of the reintegration process, the
arrival of public and state institution of the Republic of Croatia,
Granic said: 'According to the general plan, police and army forces
are to be deployed first. The opening of communication system and
the systematic arrival of Croatian state institutions will follow.
The most important moment will be the establishment of police
forces, which would be in line with ethnic composition of the area,
and the control of borders. I think that this would be the main
incentive for the return of displaced persons. Gen. Klein and army
and police forces are in charge of the protection of displaced
persons. One of the paragraphs of the U.N. Security Council
Resolution says that, in case there is resistance to
demilitarisation and implementation of the Agreement, the
international forces will leave. In other words, this would be an
internal matter of the Republic of Croatia. Of course, we would
like that the process of reintegration be carried out peacefully.
There are already some signs that the demilitarisation is being
carried out, weapons are being transported out of the area. The
local Serbs from the Croatian Danubian area are beginning to
establish first contacts with Croatian authorities, which is
encouraging. We would like to reintegrate the whole local
population, including their current leadership'.
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231202 MET jan 96