$ NG ZAGREB, Aug 20 (Hina) - Members of the Croatian government Commission for Detained and Missing Persons headed by president Ivan Grujic and members of the Yugoslav government Commission for Humanitarian Issues and Missing Persons
headed by president Pavle Todorovic began talks in Zagreb on Tuesday. The Croatian side is still searching for 2605 persons and the Yugoslav side for 999 persons.
MEETI
$ NG
ZAGREB, Aug 20 (Hina) - Members of the Croatian government
Commission for Detained and Missing Persons headed by president
Ivan Grujic and members of the Yugoslav government Commission for
Humanitarian Issues and Missing Persons headed by president Pavle
Todorovic began talks in Zagreb on Tuesday.
The Croatian side is still searching for 2605 persons and the
Yugoslav side for 999 persons. #L#
At the beginning of the meeting Croatian vice-premier Ivica
Kostovic said that "today's meeting is being held in the best of
spirits so far, when the two governments are holding talks on the
normalization of relations between Croatia and Yugoslavia, before
Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic leaves for Belgrade".
This meeting was the most important so far, Kostovic said,
adding that resolving the issue of missing and detained persons was
important for establishing a just peace and for establishing better
relations between Croatia and Yugoslavia.
Recalling the cooperation of Croatia with the international
community in resolving this important humanitarian issue, Kostovic
expressed support for the initiative of U.S. President Bill Clinton
to establish an international commission for missing and detained
persons.
He added that the results in resolving the issue so far had
"unfortunately, only been accomplished on a Zagreb-Belgrade level".
Kostovic announced that families of missing and detained
persons would obtain additional information about the whereabouts
of their loved ones on August 28.
Todorovic expressed conviction that today's meeting would bear
better results than the ones held before.
"It is a humanitarian issue and it would be a shame for it to
be an obstacle in the normalization of relations between the two
countries," Todorovic said.
Today's meeting is one of continuous meetings on the level of
task groups, Ivan Grujic said.
"We will insist that deadlines from the signed protocol be
respected and that the issue of missing and detained persons be
resolved in full," Grujic said.
The meeting was planned as two-day talks and after they end on
Wednesday, both sides will issue public statements.
Present at the meeting are also representatives of the
International Committee of the Red Cross.
(hina) lm
201556 MET aug 96