EXHUMATION STARTS IN ILACA & TOVARNIK & DJELETOVCI

( Editorial: --> 5522 ) ILACA, 19 Jan (Hina) - Experts from the Croatian Government Commission for Imprisoned and Missing Persons on Monday commenced exhumation in Ilaca, Tovarnik and Djeletovci in Vukovar-Srijem County, which was recently under the temporary administration of the U.N. According to the Commission's head, Lieutenant Ivan Grujic, exhumation in those areas would last about ten days. It is expected that the bodies of some 100 victims killed in these areas since 1991 would be found. Since this morning, three bodies have been exhumed in Ilaca and they are to be identified tomorrow. It is expected that the bodies of some 50 victims will be exhumed from a mass grave in Tovarnik. The exhumation in the area of Djeletovci is expected to start on Wednesday at the latest. It is expected that the remains of several persons will be found in that area, Grujic said. According to Grujic, the exhumation at the New Cemetery in Vukovar should start at the beginning of February. The cemetery is believed to hold the remains of 1,160 persons. "There are some signs that 93 missing persons are among those persons," Grujic said. He announced the beginning of exhumation in Ilok, Bogdanovci and Marinci, which were also under temporary U.N. administration. Asked about the recent exhumations in Petrovci near Vukovar, Grujic said that, except for the victims exhumed at Petrovci Cemetery, the search on other locations in the village had yielded no results. However, it was established that bodies from a mass grave had been transferred to another location, which should be discovered soon, he added. (hina) mm rm 191419 MET jan 98