AKASHI RESPONDS TO SARINIC'S LETTER

ZAGREB, Jan 10 (Hina) - UNPROFOR believed progress had been made in Croatia, particularly after the signing and implemention of the December 2 economic agreement, UN spokesman Paul Risley told reporters in Zagreb when asked to comment on a deadline set by the Croatian Parliament which was expiring today. Last year, the Croatian Parliament set January 10 as the deadline for UNPROFOR to show its results in implementing the agreement with rebel Serb authorities in the UN-protected areas. UN special envoy Yasushi Akashi yesterday sent a letter to the Croatian president's chief of staff Hrvoje Sarinic, in response to a letter in which Sarinic had claimed that UNPROFOR had failed to fully implement the agreement on reopening the Zagreb-Lipovac highway, Risley said. Risley described the letter as private and would not distribute it to journalists but he read out some parts from it. Akashi stressed that none of the reasons Sarinic cited in his letter were grounds to conclude that the highway had not been opened under the terms of the agreement. Akashi added that UNPROFOR had not received any report of local Serb militia interfering in the free flow of traffic or that they in any way had threatened passengers. Akashi said Sarinic's allegations had prompted senior UNPROFOR officials to inspect the situation on the highway on January 7. Although a container bearing symbols of the self-proclaimed Serb Krajina state, near the highway did not technically constitute a violation of the agreement - the container was moved 35 metres from the highway railing at UNPROFOR's request this morning. During their inspection, UN officials saw several unarmed members of the Serb militia close to the highway who did not obstruct the traffic and who moved away at UN request. Akashi further said that UN personnel were ordered to demand all Serb militia in uniform to stay away from the highway. Risley said that 27,000 vehicles had passed without incident through Sector West since the Zagreb-Lipovac highway reopened. He added that 3,700 vehicles had used the highway in the last 24 hours. (hina) mm vm sd 101629 MET jan 95