NINE POLICEMEN, 33 SOLDIERS KILLED IN W. SLAVONIA ACTION

ZAGREB, May 4 (Hina) - Croatian Minister of the Interior, Ivan Jarnjak, today submitted a report on the Western Slavonia highway operation to both houses of the Croatian Parliament. "The action was carried out jointly by the Croatian police and army, because it would be difficult for police units to restore peace and order on their own, given the military equipment arrayed against them," Jarnjak said. Nine policemen were killed and 34 were wounded in action. The Parliament was also addressed by Defence Minister Gojko Susak. "The Serbs had 4,500 men, 20 tanks, 54 artillery pieces and 11 armoured personnel carriers," Susak said. Out of these 4,500 troops, about a thousand were 'special' forces who had come from Bosnia and Knin, he explained. According to Susak, the Croatian army and police had 7,200 men (logistic units included), 30 tanks, 65 artillery pieces and 20 APCs. Most of the Serb corps, about 3,000 men, fled to Bosnia, while some 900 to 950 armed men were still encircled, Susak said. Military experts estimated that the Serbs had lost 350 to 450 men. Between 1,000 and 2,000 Serb troops were wounded, Susak said. The Croatian army lost 33 soldiers, and 128 were wounded, he said. The Croatian forces captured six tanks, four APCs, 42 cannons and two arsenals full of ammunition. They destroyed six Serb tanks and three APCs. "As for the agreement arranged by Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Kostovic, under which the encircled Serbs were to lay down their arms, they don't seem to be abiding by it," Susak said, adding that a breakthrough was attempted at two places last night. "We are still in full readiness to carry out a mopping-up operation whenever necessary," Susak said. "If they want to pass through, they have to surrender their arms first, except for personal sidearms," he stressed. The Croatian army lost one tank and a MIG 21 aircraft, piloted by Rudolf Perisin, a former JNA pilot who had been the first to fly over to the Croatian side in 1991, landing in Klagenfurt, Austria. "Only 12 percent of the elite Croatian army units took part in the operation," Susak said. "This gives an idea of what this army is capable if the supreme commander orders the liberation of the entire territory," he said. "We are in full readiness." "You have heard President Tudjman's address - you know he said that if they should shell Zagreb again, it would be the last time. We know where they are attacking from. Our estimate is that it really would be the last time," Susak concluded. (hina) mm as 041352 MET may 95