FAMILIES OF MISSING PERSONS GATHER FOR PRE-CHRISTMAS PRAYER

ZAGREB, Dec 21 (Hina) - Families of missing persons gathered for a pre-Christmas prayer in front of the "Wall of Pain" in Zagreb on Saturday. The gathering had been organized by the association of families of detained and missing soldiers "The Croatian Phoenix" and the "Vukovar Mothers". "Christmas is a holiday of joy and peace, but we cannot talk about peace and joy because we have had no information about our sons for six years," "The Croatian Phoenix" president Ljubica Butula said. She recalled that Croatia was looking for 2,524 missing persons, of whom 1,260 had gone missing in the Vukovar area. "The Croatian government has done a lot, but there are no results," Butula said. She expressed disappointment at the Dayton peace agreement because Yugoslavia and Bosnian Serbs "are boycotting the exchange of information." Butula announced "tougher action" unless the situation changed in the next year. The prayer was also attended by associations of families of missing persons from several towns. (hina) vm 211453 MET dec 96