VUKOVAR/DJELETOVCI/NIJEMCI/LIPOVAC, 3 Dec (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman visited the town of Vukovar and the villages of Djeletovci, Nijemci, Apsevci, Podgradje and Lipovac in the Croatian Danubian area on Tuesday.
President Tudjman was accompanied by Croatian parliament and government officials.
VUKOVAR/DJELETOVCI/NIJEMCI/LIPOVAC, 3 Dec (Hina) - Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman visited the town of Vukovar and the
villages of Djeletovci, Nijemci, Apsevci, Podgradje and Lipovac in
the Croatian Danubian area on Tuesday.
President Tudjman was accompanied by Croatian parliament and
government officials. #L#
A plane carrying President Tudjman and his associates landed
at Cepin airport at 11 a.m. On board the plane were also
Presidential Chief-Of-Staff Hrvoje Sarinic, Vice Premiers Jure
Radic and Ivica Kostovic, Parliament Vice President Jadranka Kosor,
Interior Minister Ivan Jarnjak, member of Parliament Count Jakob
Elz of Vukovar, Deputy Presidential Chief-Of-Staff Vesna Skare-
Ozbolt and President Tudjman's aide-de-camp, Major General Kresimir
Kaspar.
President Tudjman and his associates were welcomed by Osijek
County Prefect Branimir Glavas, Defence Minister Gojko Susak, U.N.
Transitional Administrator Jacques Klein and other officials.
President Tudjman and his entourage then left for Vukovar in a
UNTAES helicopter. After their arrival in Vukovar, President
Tudjman and his associates, accompanied by General Klein, visited
the town's toll-house, water-tower, the company 'Velepromet',
hospital and market place. The delegation also visited the mass
grave site at Ovcara.
In the Vukovar UNTAES base, President Tudjman held talks with
General Klein.
In the meantime, Vice Premier Ivica Kostovic and members of
the Croatian delegation received local Serb representatives from
the Croatian Danubian area.
After the talks with General Klein, President Tudjman joined
the talks with local Serb representatives, which lasted about an
hour. After the talks, President Tudjman flew to the oil field of
Djeletovci, where he was welcomed by employees of the Croatian oil
company INA, headed by INA general director Andrija Kojakovic.
The president of the INA supervisory board, Hrvoje Sarinic and
INA general director Andrija Kojakovic informed President Tudjman
that 65 out of 72 oil-wells at the Djeletovci oil field were
working.
The delegation then started towards the village of Nijemci,
where it was greeted by Croat returnees who performed traditional
Slavonian songs and dances. The homes of Croat returnees are now
being reconstructed after the displaced returned to their village,
after almost five years spent in exile.
Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic, member of
Parliament from Nijemci, Djuro Perica, and Nijemci municipal head
Ivica Klem informed President Tudjman about the reconstruction of
other villages where Croat refugees are to return before Christmas.
Followed by cheers 'We will all return', President Tudjman
left for Lipovac. The delegation passed through Podgradje and
Apsevci, where more than 200 houses are being built for Croat
displaced people, who are to return there before Christmas.
President Tudjman received a warm welcome in Lipovci as well.
Especially hearty was his visit to the house of Ivica Grgic, the
father of 13 children. Five members of the Grgic family volunteered
in 1991 to join Croatian defence forces.
The Croatian President also met Croatian mine-removal experts
in the area.
After 3 p.m., President Tudjman left Cepin airport for Zagreb
in his plane.
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