HINA NEWS UPDATE

THREE KILLED, 50 WOUNDED IN SERB MISSILE ATTACK ON ZAGREB ZAGREB, May 2 (Hina) - Several fragmentation projectiles hit central Zagreb shortly before 10.30 a.m. today, police said. Casualty hospital doctors said that three people had been killed and about 50 wounded, many of them seriously. Police announced a special press conference as soon as they finish on-the-spot investigation. Zagreb primary and secondary schools would be closed today and tomorrow, city education authorities said. THREE CROATIAN SOLDIERS WOUNDED AT LIPIK LIPIK, May 2 (Hina) - Three Croatian army soldiers were wounded in Lipik, about 100 km east of Zagreb, this morning when they strepped on an anti-personnel mine, the Lipik alert centre said. The wounded soldiers were taken to hospital in Kutina. TWO WOUNDED IN KARLOVAC KARLOVAC, May 2 (Hina) - Two people were wounded in Karlovac today as Serb terrorists renewed shelling attacks on the city, the local alert centre said. Karlovac was put on general alert at 12.15 p.m. CROATIAN PRIME MINISTER SAYS POLICE ACTION IN FINAL STAGE ZAGREB, May 2 (Hina) - Croatia's Prime Minister, Nikica Valentic, told a Parliament upper house session today that a Croatian police action aimed at securing unimpeded traffic along the Zagreb-Lipovac highway was in its final stage. Speaking during question time, Valentic described the operation as complex and appealed to deputies not to insist on its details. Social Liberal Mate Mestrovic demanded reports from the ministers of the interior, defence and foreign affairs on the current situaton in Western Slavonia. He said that the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) supported the police action in the region. FOUR KILLED, DOZENS WOUNDED IN SERB MISSILE ATTACK ON ZAGREB ZAGREB, May 2 (Hina) - Six projectiles hit Zagreb at 10.30 a.m. today, killing four and wounding several dozen people, some of them seriously, a Croatian Interior Ministry statement said. It added that the wounded had been hospitalized. A number of vehicles, incuding a tram, and several buildings were damaged by explosions. Police teams were searching the scenes for unexploded devices, the so-called 'bells', the statement said. AKASHI EXPECTS CROATIA PARTIES TO RESUME TALKS THIS AFTERNOON ZAGREB, May 2 (Hina) - Following is a full statement released today by Fred Eckhard, spokesman for the UN Secretary General's special representative, Yasushi Akashi. "This morning's resumed air attacks in Sector West in the vicinity of the Sava River Bridge, artillery attacks within the Sector including approximately 95 impacts in and around Okucani, continued shelling near the Nepalese Battalion base at Postara, and new explosions in the heart of Zagreb and the Pleso Airport area, illustrate the failure of both parties to keep faith with their pledge to Mr Akashi last night to exercise maximum restraint while considering his proposal for a formal ceasefire agreement. These actions also fly in the face of last night's Security Council demand that '... the Government of the Republic of Croatia put an end immediately to the military offensive launched by its forces in the area of Western Slavonia known as Sector West which started the morning of 1 May 1995 in violation of the ceasefire agreement of 29 March 1994' and the urgent call on the parties to '... cease the hostilities and comply with the existing ceasefire agreement.' The situation is grave. Mr Akashi expects the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Serb authorities in Knin to resume discussions with him this afternoon with a view to putting a stop to the escalating violece while there is still time to replace war with dialogue." (Hina - The End) 021522 MET may 95