SIMONOVIC: FREE MOVEMENT OF CIVILIANS ISN'T VIOLATION OF AGREEMENTS

NEW YORK, April 14 (Hina) - The U.N. mission in Prevlaka is justified because of the tensions, instability and unpredictability of developments in Yugoslavia, Croatia's permanent representative at the United Nations in New York, Ivan Simonovic, said on Friday, commenting on a report by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the mandate of the U.N. Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP). #L# Simonovic agrees with most assessments by the U.N. Secretary- General and adds that the situation on the Prevlaka peninsula (on the Croatian-Yugoslav border) has been normalising "thanks to the good local cooperation of Croatian and Montenegrin authorities." "In legal terms, there is no doubt whatsoever that Prevlaka is part of Croatia's territory," Simonovic says. Yugoslavia's stand is "a reactionary remnant of unhealthy ambitions aimed at re- designing borders and refusing to recognise the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Croatia," Simonovic believes. The U.N. wants the dispute to be resolved by a bilateral agreement, which Croatia has been trying to achieve, however, "the Yugoslav authorities have not been a well-intentioned partner." Simonovic does not agree with Annan's opinion that the movement of civilians and the return to normal life in Prevlaka represents the violation of previous agreements. "They (the agreements) referred to the demilitarisation of Prevlaka and its monitoring by the U.N. and not to its use by civilians," the representative said. Simonovic concludes that the current situation in Yugoslavia justifies the continuation of the UNMOP because "further deterioration could reflect negatively on Croatia as well." He adds that "U.N. control over Prevlaka should be also formally ended as soon as the security situation allows it." (hina) rml