WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on
Friday rejected any extension of the UNTAES mandate in eastern
Slavonia longer than three months.
"We said a twelve-month extension was out of the question...
but we could just possibly accept a three-month extension," Tudjman
told reporters at the Croatian embassy in Washington, following
talks with US President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore.
The one-year mandate of the UN Temporary Administration in
Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) expires on January 15, 1997. UNTAES
commander Gen. Jozef Schoups said earlier this week that the
mandate ought to be extended for six months.
Vice-President Al Gore made the same suggestion this
afternoon, according to President Tudjman.
"I answered that this would not be acceptable for the Croatian
side - I think that a three-month extension will be sufficient to
complete the mandate," Tudjman said, stressing that Croatia
shouldered a substantial part of the costs of the presence of UN
forces.
"Also, Croatia has 80,000 Croat, Hungarian, Ruthenian and
Slovak refugees to consider," he said.
"It is morally and politically unacceptable that our people
cannot return to their homes... because of the resistance of Serb
extremists," he said.
The issue of a possible extension of the UNTAES mandate would
be settled jointly by the Croatian Government, Temporary
Administrator Jacques Klein, the European Union and the United
States, he said.
"As before, we will make our constructive contribution to a
permanent resolution of the crisis in the whole of former
Yugoslavia and the full integration of this Croatian region,"
Tudjman said.
He reiterated that Croatia was satisfied with the Temporary
Administrator's work.
(hina) as
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