ZAGREB, Apr 8 (Hina) - The Easter mass was celebrated on Sunday in
the Catholic parish church of St. Ivan Kapistran in occupied Ilok
in eastern Slavonia. The mass was attended by Deputy Prime Minister
Ivica Kostovic and the head of the Government Office for the
establishment of Croatian authority in the Danubian area, Ivica
Vrkic.
Also present were UNTAES representatives - including Temporary
Administrator Jacques Klein, his deputy Derek Boothby and UNTAES
commander Jozef Schoups - and the diplomatic corps accredited in
Croatia, including British Ambassador G. Hewitt, Russia's L.
Kerestediants, France's J.J. Gaillarde, Hungary's Z. Szalay and the
Ukraine's A. Shostak.
"The mass was organised by Gen. Klein as a religious and
ecumenical event but also as an important step toward the peaceful
reintegration of occupied Croatian areas," Kostovic told Hina upon
return to Zagreb on Sunday evening.
"The mass is also an indication of UNTAES' commitment to
support the basic human rights and liberties of all inhabitants of
the occupied Croatian area," he added.
The congregation included 400 mostly elderly Croats currently
living in Ilok and several Protestant Slovakians. A refugee from
Ilok currently living in Opatija played the organ. The event was
secured by local Serb police in cooperation with Belgian police.
"This is the first time since the beginning of the Serb
aggression against Croatia that a senior Croatian state official
attends a non-political and non-military event in the occupied
area," Kostovic said.
"The Croatian Government welcomes the UNTAES initiative as an
important steps toward the peaceful reintegration of Croatian
areas, remaining committed to the Basic Agreement on Eastern
Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem," he said.
It was agreed that the Orthodox Easter mass would be
celebrated in occupied Dalj next Sunday, Kostovic announced.
(hina) as
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