U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES VISITS OSIJEK

OSIJEK, May 5 (Hina) - UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata arrived in the eastern Croatian city of Osijek on Sunday afternoon after visiting the Serb-occupied towns of Vukovar and Erdut where she had met UN Transitional Administrator Jacques Klein and members of the subcommission for return of refugees and displaced persons. During a short visit to Osijek, Ogata met the head of the Croatian government office for restoration of Croatian authority in the occupied areas, Ivica Vrkic, and his deputy, Mirko Tankosic, for talks on the process of peaceful reintegration of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem. Vrkic described as positive the results that had so far been achieved in the peaceful reintegration process. Vrkic said that the Zagreb-Belgrade motorway would be opened on May 7 and that the Vinkovci-Sid railway line and international traffic on the Drava and Danube rivers would be opened soon. According to the 1991 population census, Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem had had 193,513 inhabitants, of whom 75,986 now had refugee status, Vrkic said. He added that 2,762 persons had been killed and 8,443 had been wounded in the war while 1,492 were still missing. Vrkic stressed that Croatia wanted to implement the peaceful reintegration process as soon as possible so that normal life could be restored and all displaced persons could return to their homes. Ogata said that the opening of communications was crucial for the process because it helped restore confidence among people. She said she was satisfied with proposals for a pilot project for the return of displaced people on both sides. Ogata announced that UNHCR and the Croatian and Serb subcommissions for return of displaced persons and refugees would organize visits of Croats to the occupied parts of Eastern Slavonia and of Serbs to Western Slavonia on May 8. She said that it was also very important that the Croatian parliament pass an amnesty law as a confidence-building measure. Vrkic said that the matter was being considered but that at the same time the Serb side should reveal facts about the missing persons and detainees. Branko Culo of the Croatian government office said that there were 129 towns and villages which were to be reintegrated into the constitutional and legal system of Croatia. He presented Ogata with maps showing the prewar population of the areas. (hina) vm 051938 MET may 96