UNTAES: SERB PROTEST GATHERING IN VUKOVAR WAS LEGAL

OSIJEK, July 29 (Hina) - UNTAES spokesman Phillip Arnold on Monday held a press conference in Osijek, eastern Croatia, at which he commented on yesterday's protest gathering of Serbs in the still occupied town of Vukovar. Arnold said that the gathering, called "Protest for a Just Peace", was organized by non-government organizations, was legal, that its first part included a mass, followed by "minor comments by non-government organizations". Arnold estimated the meeting gathered 5,000-7,000 people and said that UNTAES thought they had the right to show their opinion. He added that UNTAES refused any talks on political autonomy in the Croatian Danubian area, whereas ethnic, cultural and educational autonomy could be discussed. Arnold also said that a meeting between representatives of the Jordanian battalion and the Croatian oil industry INA in Djeletovci was held today discussing the future employment of 150 Serb workers from the area who could decide whether they wanted to continue working on the oil wells or not. The UNTEAS spokesman also informed the press of a military exercise of NATO airplanes held in the region for the first time on Friday, agreed between UNTAES, the U.N. and NATO and the Croatian and Serb sides. The visits of Croatian displaced persons to some still occupied villages must be safe, Arnold said, but did not give a concrete answer as to what UNTAES would do in case Serbs in the still occupied area continued putting up barricades not allowing entrance. Arnold announced that the Croatian government would soon open administration offices in Vukovar, Beli Manastir and Ilok, where nationality certificates and other documents would be issued several times a week by workers coming from Croatia's unoccupied territories accompanied by UNTAES. (hina) ha mm 291750 MET jul 96