200 SERBS LEAVE WESTERN SLAVONIA

ZAGREB, May 11 (Hina) - Serb civilians from western Slavonia kept informing UN civilian police about incidents UN officials were unable to verify, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said today in Zagreb. Eckhard said that the UN had information on cases of intimidation and brutality but they were neither investigated nor confirmed yet. Asked to say who the intimidators were, Eckhard said, quoting testimonies by civilians, that they were 'individuals in uniform', adding that there were no grounds to speak about a systematic and organized expulsion of Serbs from western Slavonia. He said that in view of recent war activities in the area, there were criminal elements and cases of lawlessness which would disappear with the establishment of Croatian civilian authorities. The Croatian government had clearly said it wanted Croatian Serbs to remain in the area, guaranteeing them all civil and national rights, Eckhard said, adding that the presence of UN troops in the area could help achieve this goal. UN peacekeepers were determined to implement their new mandate, but the events in western Slavonia had made the definition of the mandate and its implementation within set deadlines more complicated, Eckhard said. On Wednesday, 130 Serbs crossed the Sava river into northwestern Bosnia, bringing the total number of people who left western Slavonia in the last two days to 200, UN spokesman Chris Gunnes said. These people wanted to leave Croatia and were allowed by the Croatian government to do so. Eckhard said that half of the people had left Pakrac in their vehicles, mostly tractors, and added that the operation was continuing today. Eckhard conveyed the UN Secretary General's special envoy Yasushi Akashi's opinion that a meeting between Croatian army and rebel Serb commanders would be beneficial. (hina) mm rm vm 111813 MET may 95