CROATIAN PRESIDENT'S ENVOY RECEIVES HEAD OF MINE CLEARING CENTRE

CENTRE $ OSIJEK, Jan 17 (Hina) - Croatian President's envoy at the government Office for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem, Major General Slavko Baric, on Friday received the head of the UN Centre for Mine Clearing in Croatia, Bob Keely. The talks focused on the removal of mines in the Croatian Danube river region, the education of Croatian personnel abroad and about the possibility of opening an international centre for education of mine clearing personnel in the UNTAES- administered area. #L# "A large section of the Croatian Danube river region is covered with mines which have been planted without a plan, so the possibility of accidents is great," Baric said after the talks. "We supported Mr. Keely's suggestion that we draw up a plan of mechanical mine clearing and we submitted over 70 mine clearing projects for the Danube region to Transitional Administrator Jacques Klein," he added. "We have founded a coordination on the level of Croatian government, whose task is to establish a Croatian mine clearing centre and on Friday we suggested that western countries' governments and the UN be informed about the fact so that an international mine clearing centre could be established in the country for the education of personnel in mine clearing," Baric said. Recalling that Croatia needed most help in the form of technical equipment and machines for the job, Baric announced that a group of Croatian pyrotechnicians would travel on a three-day course to England on 19 January, at the expense of the British government. (hina) lm jn 171639 MET jan 97