VISIT TO CEMETERIES IN EASTERN CROATIA ENDS PEACEFULLY

OSIJEK, Nov 1 (Hina) - The visit of displaced people to cemeteries in the Croatian Danubian area on the All Saints' Day, organized by Croatian authorities and the U.N. transitional administration (UNTAES), passed peacefully and with no incident. We can stress, with pleasure, that after five years of waiting, we managed to visit the graveyards (in the Croatian Danubian area), Croatia's deputy prime minister Ivica Kostovic told a press conference in Osijek on Friday afternoon. He told journalists that all displaced people had returned from the tour to cemeteries, except two groups whose return from Antunovac and Vukovar was being expected every moment. Kostovic said the great event passed with "dignified behaviour of people." Voicing a hope that next year all people will come back to their houses, Kostovic thanked to the U.N. transitional administrator Jacques Klein for the "appropriate organization" (of the visit) in which any possibility of incident was removed. Croatian authorities would also enable Serb citizens to visit cemeteries in towns and villages they had fled in the liberating operations, in line with proposals by the UNTAES, Kostovic said. "At the moment we particularly sympathize with families of missing people and detainees, as only they do not know where to light a candle and lay flowers," Kostovic said. "According to first information, there were no incidents during the visits to cemeteries, and we can say, with relief, this was a great day," said Ivica Vrkic, head of the Croatian Government office for establishment of Croatia's rule in the Danubian area. A total of 1910 persons visited cemeteries in the area under the UNTAES administration. Several thousand people toured cemeteries in the five western Sirmium villages, that UNTAES had handed over to Croatian authorities, Vrkic told the conference. (hina) jn mš 011556 MET nov 96