NEWS 1

CROATIA, VIETNAM ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS NEW YORK, July 2 (Hina) - Croatian ambassador to the UN Mario Nobilo and and Vietnamese Ambassador Le Van Bang on Friday signed the agreement on establishing diplomatic relations. Both ambassadors expressed interest in promoting bilateral relations and trade. REFUGEES' VIGIL IN OSIJEK AREA WITHOUT INCIDENTS OSIJEK, July 2 (Hina) - No incidents were recorded during the refugees' vigil at UNPROFOR checkpoints at Biljska Cesta and Nemetin (eastern Slavonia) on Friday night. Ond of the organisers of the vigil, Zvonko Bugarin, said no UNPROFOR vehicle had attempted to cross the barriers. Refugees from UNPA East held the vigil until 08:00 hours, when they were relieved by women from the Osijek Association of Families of Missing Persons. Bugarin said the refugees' campaign was firmly supported by the citizens of Osijek and other towns. DISPLACED PERSONS BLOCK UNPROFOR CHECKPOINTS IN NOVSKA AREA NOVSKA, July 2 (Hina) - Displaced persons from the occupied part of the Novska municipality (UNPA West) on Saturday morning blocked the Zagreb-Belgrade highway near Novska (Đ80 km E. of Zagreb) and the UNPROFOR checkpoints in Stari Grabovac and Brocice. The displaced said they were losing patience after waiting for three years to return to their destroyed houses, as had been promised them by the Vance Plan. Several UNPROFOR vehicles appeared at the checkpoints, but seeing the roadblocks returned to starting point. The displaced from Novska thus joined nationwide refugees' protests against UNPROFOR's inefficiency. The Union of Refugees of Croatia is planning to prolong the protests until the expiry of the UNPROFOR mandate on September 30. The protests are aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the fact that UNPROFOR did not implement even one of the relevant Security Council resolutions and was not likely to under the present mandate. PROTESTERS REMOVE ROADBLOCKS IN BIOGRAD AREA BIOGRAD, July 2 (Hina) - The protest rally staged by citiznes of Biograd against UNPROFOR's inefficiency ended at midnight, and the Zadar-Sibenik road is now open to traffic, said Hina's reporter in Biograd. The Zadar-Sibenik road was closed to UNPROFOR vehicles from 14:00 to 24:00 hours Friday, in a bid to bring home to the international community the water shortage suffered by 30,000 citizens and displaced persons that found shelter in the area. Three years ago the Serb rebel forces cut off the water supplies to Biograd from a spring near the village of Kakma. They have recently mined the Kakma waterworks. The protesters stopped twenty UNPROFOR trucks, buses and passenger cars on Friday afternoon. REFUGEES SET ROADBLOCKS IN SIBENIK AREA SIBENIK, July 2 (Hina) - Displaced persons from UNPA South on Saturday morning blocked a UNPROFOR checkpoint in Pakovo Selo in the Sibenik area, protesting against UNPROFOR's inefficiency. Several UNPROFOR trucks coming from the direction of Sibenik were stopped and directed back before 11:00 hours. The protesters said UNPROFOR should have organised their return home two years ago, but failed in this as it had failed in other tasks. The protesters demanded that UNPROFOR either set a date for their return or go home. DEPUTY FINANCE MINISTER DISCUSSES LOANS WITH IMF WASHINGTON, July 2 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Finance Minister Bonzo Prka and International Monetary Fund and World Bank representatives on Saturday closed the first round of talks concerning a 150million dollar loan to Croatia, destined for a social welfare scheme and bank restructuring. Deputy Finance Minister Prka also talked with IMF Deputy Director Jacquest Artus and his assistant Eric Clifton about a stand-by arrangement, as well as another loan to boost Croatian foreign currency reserves, worth US$ 100 million. Deputy Finance Minister Prka and his assistants presented the IMF and World Bank officials an outline of Croatian fiscal and monetary policies for 1994 and 1995. The IMF and World Bank officials expressed satisfaction with the situation of the Croatian economy and willingness to assist Croatia. They suggested that the Croatian Government envisage a cut in customs duties in order to boost the vitality and competence of the Croatian economy. REFUGEES DENY UNPROFOR ACCESS TO TURANJ, LOGORISTE KARLOVAC, July 2 (Hina) - Displaced persons from Slunj, Rakovica and Cetingrad (UNPA North) on Saturday rallied at a UNPROFOR checkpoint in the village of Mostanje to express their dissatisfaction with UNPROFOR's performance. The rally was attended by several members of Parliament, the selectmen of Karlovac, the mayors of occupied towns and representatives of the Association of Croatian War Veterans. The protesters acquainted representatives of the EU Monitor Mission with their demands, which range from water for Biograd and the return of the refugees to the return of the occupied areas under Croatia's sovereignty and UNPROFOR's deployment along Croatian borders. The protesters blocked the Karlovac-Turanj and Karlovac- Logoriste roads for all UNPROFOR vehicles. The weekend coach for Velika Kladusa (western Bosnia) did not set out today. REFUGEES CONTINUE BLOCKING ROADS IN SISAK AREA SISAK, July 2 (Hina) - Displaced persons from the Banija area (S. of Sisak) on Saturday continued blocking regional roads in Novo Pracno and Nebojan for all UNPROFOR, UNHCR and Red Cross vehicles. The vigil was held all night by refugees and members of the Association of Families of Missing Persons. The roadblocks are flanked by burning candles, Croatian flags and placards. UNION OF REFUGEES TO CONTINUE BLOCKING UNPROFOR'S MOVEMENTS ZAGREB, July 2 (Hina) - The Union of Refugees of Croatia on Saturday announced its intention to continue blocking the movements of UNPROFOR and other international humanitarian organisations working in Croatia until UN Secretary-General Boutros-Boutros Fhali and his envoy Yasushi Akashi gave firm guarantees that the Vance Plan and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolutions 769, 820 and 871, will be immediately implemented. The Union said in a statement that the protesters blocked UNPROFOR checkpoints in Nemetin, Biljska Cesta (Osijek County), Moscenica, Glinska Poljana, Stari Grabovac, Brocice, the Zagreb- Belgrade highway (Sisak County), Lipovac (Vukovar County), the Adriatic highway, the Kolovare hotel (Zadar County) and Josipdol/Vojnovac (Karlovac County). Several protest meetings were also held. "Except for minor incidents provoked by UNPROFOR members who said they 'had not been informed of this action' the first 24 hours of the protest passed in calm and dignity," said the statement. The Union expects that the Croatian Government and senior UNPROFOR officials will soon meet with Union's representatives to discuss their demands. The Union also invited Yasushi Xkashi to visit Osijek and talk with the refugees. Replying to certain comments in the press, the statement noted that the Union decided to go forward with the blockade at its May 20 session in Nova Gradiska, "without consulting the authorities or any political party." (Hina - The End) 021531 MET jul 94