TRANSITIONAL ADMINISTRATION TO SET UP POLICE IN E. SLAVONIA

OSIJEK, Feb 23 (Hina) - The head of the Croatian Government Office for the Temporary Administration for Establishing Croatian Authority in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem, Ivica Vrkic, on Friday met for talks with an official of the U.S. State Department in charge of police issues, Robert Gifford, and a representative of the U.S. Department of Justice, Jan Stromsen. #L# Following the meeting which took place behind closed doors, Stromsen said that the Department would closely cooperate with both (Croat and Serb) sides and would "advise the Transitional Administrator Jacques Klein on how to continue the process which has already begun". She voiced the conviction that, considering the high professional level of police officers on both sides, the only help the transitional police force would need was to purchase state-of-the-art equipment. Describing the establishment of the Transitional Administration police force as one of the most important parts of the peace process, Vrkic said that it would first be set up according to a transitional model. But eventually, the ethnic composition of the police force was to reflect the ethnic structure as determined by the 1991 census. "The Croatian police force is ready to join in the process," Vrkic said. (hina) lm as 232058 MET feb 96