CRO TEAMS BEGIN MINE SWEEPING IN ANOTHER 4 DANUBIAN VILLAGES

OSIJEK, Sept 24 (Hina) -Croatian teams on Tuesday arrived in Bilje, Kopacevo, Divos and Ernestinovo, in line with a plan on mine clearing of the UN-administered area which was signed in Vukovar on July 12, Croatian President's envoy at the government Office for the restoration of Croatian authority in the occupied area, Major General Slavko Baric, told Tuesdays news conference in Osijek. According to the plan, which was endorsed by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the sweeping of mines in 700 houses and private plots should last 40 days. The teams would even examine cemeteries, Baric said. He added that the teams had so far examined 1.539,000 metres squared and that so-called booby-traps had been found in Podgradje. UNTAES had taken all necessary measures to ensure safety for the Croatian mine-sweeping teams, Baric said, adding that so far, two of the 690 people working in clearing the area of mines had been lightly wounded. Head of the Croatian government Office for the restoration of Croatian authority in the UN-administered area in eastern Croatia, Ivica Vrkic, said that in some places, such as Lipovac, the basic preconditions for the return and normal life of refugees would be created before Christmas. "We will continue to work on the most important political task, which is to make preparations for the holding of local elections this December," Vrkic said, adding that it was necessary to appoint legitimate representatives of the people from the area and thus bring about the end of the process of return, as well as the overall peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area. (hina) lm jn 241544 MET sep 96