TUDJMAN MEETS GEN. KLEIN AND SERBS FROM CRO DANUBIAN AREA - STATEM

STATEM $ ENT ZAGREB, Nov 9 (Hina) - Croatia's President Franjo Tudjman, on Saturday received the Transitional Administrator of the Croatian Danubian area, Jacques Klein, and a delegation of Serbs from the Croatian Danubian area, the President's office stated. President Tudjman thanked to General Jacques Klein for all he had done so far in the process of the peaceful reintegration. Addressing the Serb representatives from the Danubian area, President Tudjman said that it was also in their interest that the process of the peaceful reintegration could be soon completed successfully. It was in the interest of the Croatian democratic authorities that Serbs in the Danubian area who accept the Croatian state, stay and live together with local Croats and others, he said. Serb extremists, who followed their leaders and wanted to defeat the Croatian nation, experienced defeat themselves, and, despite Croatia's authorities' call, made many Serbs left their homes. All of you who would like to stay, will be guaranteed all ethnic rights provided by the Croatian Constitution and the Constitutional Law that are at the highest European and world level, President Tudjman said. As we reached the normalization agreement with Serbia, i.e. the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRJ), and as all international documents assure that the Danubian area is part of the Croatian state, the reintegration should not be delayed but ended soon and with help of General Klein, Tudjman said. Any prolongation of the process of the peaceful reintegration sustained an unnatural situation both for you and for the Croatian state, and it deepened the animosities, Tudjman said. He stressed that elections in the Danubian area should be held soon and the abnormal situation ended. Informing the President Tudjman of the achievements in the implementation of the UNTAES mandate, the Transitional Administrator Klein said he wanted to carry out the process of the peaceful implementation soon, what was in the interest of people from both sides. The head of the local Serb delegation, Vojislav Stanimirovic, congratulated President Tudjman on Croatia's admission to the Council of Europe, and described it as a great victory of the Croatian state. Stanimirovic said that it was clear that the Danubian area was an integral part of the Croatian state on the grounds of all international documents and the Erdut agreement, and added that all should cooperate in successful completion of the UNTAES mandate. A parliamentarian, Milorad Pupovac, said that the solution for Serbs in Croatia should be found within the Croatian Constitution and the Constitutional Law that provide that Serb ethnic community in Croatia has all ethnic and cultural rights, and added that Croatia's Serbs would do their utmost in order that the UNTAES mandate could be soon and successfully completed. At the end President Tudjman said that Croats and Serbs in the Danubian area should hold local elections soon and that it was in the best interest of everyone that Serbs may begin soon to feel as Croatian citizens. (hina) jn mš 091728 MET nov 96