KNEZEVO-UDVAR BORDER CROSSING TO BE OPENED BY 31 AUG AT LATEST

OSIJEK, August 9 (Hina) - The Knezevo-Udvar border crossing must be opened as soon as technical details were provided, but no later than 31 August, the Croatian government's Transitional Administration Office for the Establishment of Croatian Authority in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem said in a statement on Friday. Croatian, Hungarian and UNTAES representatives would propose so to their governments, after yesterday's meeting in Osijek which discussed the technical details of the opening. Present at the meeting were Transitional Administrator Jacques Klein, head of the Transitional Administration Office Ivica Vrkic and Osijek Prefect Branimir Glavas. Three days before the opening, groups of Croatian, Hungarian and UNTAES experts would check security conditions at the border crossing. "In accordance with UNTAES' responsibility for security in the area, only Croatian and Hungarian citizens with Croatian or Hungarian passports and travel documents will be allowed to cross", the statement said, adding that Croatia's Customs Act and regulations would be applied under UNTAES' control. In the beginning the border crossing would be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for non-commercial traffic only, while 30 days after the opening, governments of Croatia and Hungary and UNTAES would check the implementation of these procedures, the statement concluded. Yesterday's meeting in Osijek had said that the opening was expected for 15 August. (hina) ha 091342 MET aug 96