CRO GOVT AND SERB REPS FROM OCCUPIED AREA SIGN AGREEMENT ON AGRICU

AGRICU $ LTURAL EXCHANGE OSIJEK, May 16 (Hina) - The Croatian government is to deliver fertilizer and pesticides to the temporarily occupied areas and in return they are to give to the government last year's and this year's corn and wheat crop as well as wine from Ilok. The deputy director of the Croatian Directorate for stock, Vlatko Rogozar and Radenko Dragovic from the Serb side signed an agreement on the exchange of mentioned goods in the "Kormoran" restaurant in the Kopacki Rit national park in the occupied Baranja on Thursday. Croatian Agriculture Minister Matej Jankovic who was present at the ceremony said that the government supported agriculture in the whole of Croatia, adding that this was the best way of reintegrating the occupied area into Croatia. The head of the government Office of the temporary administration for the establishment of Croatian authority in the Croatian Danubian area, Ivica Vrkic, and the head of UNTAES office for civilian issues, Gerard Fischer, described the agreement as significant for the normalization of relations and the reintegration of the occupied area. The president of the local Serb agriculture committee, Simo Sijan, said that the agreement showed that the authority he represented were market-oriented and that it was based and on "the principle of free trade agreements with all interested sides". (hina) lm jn 161903 MET may 96