PENIC BELIEVES SMALL NUMBER OF SERBS WILL LEAVE DANUBIAN AREA

ZAGREB, Jan 30 (Hina) - Croatia is not expecting that a great number of Serbs will move into the area of the Republic of Srpska (Bosnian Serb entity) after the reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area, Croatian Interior Minister Ivan Penic said on Thursday after the talks with General Klaus Fruehhaber, the commander for support to the NATO-led SFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Croatian Interior Minister and Gen. Fruehhaber considered evaluations that a considerable number of Serbs would leave the Croatian Danubian area and thus destabilize Bosnia-Herzegovina. They discussed incidents at the border between Croatia and Bosnia ( at a border section controlled by Bosnian Serbs). "It is estimated that only a small number of people will leave the (Danubian) area who feel that they are really guilty on some grounds, but it will be a very small number," Penic told reporters. Penic said they had discussed a recent incident when Serbs from Bosanski Brod (on the right bank of the Sava river) opened fire at eastern Croatian town of Slavonski Brod. He said that Croatian secret police had learned of names of those who had opened fire, and added that he had requested from General Fruehhaber that action against perpetrators should be taken. Gen. Fruehhaber vowed to do so. Penic and Gen. Fruehhaber voiced satisfaction with cooperation between Croatian authorities and SFOR. Penic underlined that Croatia was specially interested in the successful implementation of the SFOR operation, as it has the long border with Bosnia-Herzegovina and that a considerable part of the Croatian people live in Bosnia. (hina) jn 302156 MET jan 97