GENERAL SCHOUPS TAKES OVER OFFICE OF UNTAES MILITARY COMMANDER

OSIJEK, March 14 (Hina) - The take-over of the office of UNTAES (United Nations Task Force In Eastern Slavonia) military force commander took place in the occupied Osijek airport of Klisa on Thursday. In the presence of Transitional Administrator of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem, Jacques Klein, the former UNTAES commander Freddy van de Weghe was replaced by General Joseph Schoups. #L# The ceremony was also attended by the head of the Transitional Administration Office in eastern Slavonia, Ivica Vrkic and Osijek Officer Corps commander, Lieutenant-General Djuro Decak. The Serb representative at the ceremony was General Dusan Loncar. Attending were also the Italian, American, French and British ambassadors to Croatia. The task of UNTAES was to maintain peace and provide full protection of human rights and freedoms, Schoups said, adding that all that could be achieved through cooperation and tolerance. Transitional Administrator Jacques Klein stressed that his task was the stability of the region and the protection of property and human dignity. The main task of UNTAES and the Transitional Administration was the real and complete reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area into Croatia, Klein added. (hina) rm mm 141956 MET mar 96