REINTEGRATION OF DANUBIAN AREA INTO CRO LEGAL SYSTEM TO BEGIN IN 2 WEEKS

WEEKS ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Miroslav Separovic met Serb representatives in Zagreb on Friday for talks on the introduction of the Croatian legal system into UN-administered eastern Croatia. After 3 ˝ hour talks behind the closed doors, Separovic told reporters that the gradual application of Croatian laws in the Danube river region would begin within two weeks' time. For that reason the Serb representatives were given to study a set of Croatian laws on criminal and civil law, the organization of the judiciary and other important regulations. Separovic expressed a hope that today's meeting would further encourage the peaceful reintegration of the region into Croatia's administrative system. He noted that the reintegration was "an unstoppable process." Separovic said that he and the Serb officials had discussed "openly and constructively" all issues concerning the legal system. Under discussion were land registration issues and the registration of companies in the region. Separovic said the Croatian government was determined to ensure that local elections were held according to schedule. He added that all problems would be resolved in cooperation with the UN Transitional Administration in the region (UNTAES). "I confirmed the resoluteness of the Croatian government to implement its letter of intent (on peaceful reintegration), which was endorsed by the (UN) presidential statement," he said, adding that "the Croatian government is patient in efforts to reach its goal - the peaceful reintegration." The talks also focused on war criminals and the application of the Amnesty Act. Separovic reiterated that the Amnesty Act applied to all persons except those who had committed war crimes under international law. He went on to say that incidents should not be an obstacle to the peaceful reintegration process. Speaking of the killing of a Belgian UN officer, he said that Croatian medical experts would provide assistance in the investigation. The head of the Serb delegation, Vojin Susa, who presented himself as secretary of justice and administration, presented his remarks about the Amnesty Act. Susa said that this law had "certain anomalies", but added that the Serb representatives believed that they were not in bad faith, which will be clear when the law begins to be implemented in the region. "On our part, there's no doubt that war criminals, regardless of the side they're on, should be prosecuted by the international community," he stressed. Speaking of preparations by regional courts for reintegration into the Croatian judicial system, Susa said that they would study the material they were given in the next two weeks and begin to gradually apply the Croatian laws with the aim of peaceful reintegration. He reiterated that the holding of elections may not be possible within the planned time frame, because many of the technical prerequisites were missing - that is, most voters did not yet have their citizenship papers. This was not good and such elections would not be legitimate and democratic, Susa said. According to Susa, local Serb authorities took appropriate steps to deal with incidents in the Danubian area. The perpetrator of a serious crime committed in Vukovar last week was an "insane man who we know everything about," Susa said. "That young man did not shoot to kill the UNTAES official - he was shooting wildly all over the town and happened to hit the head of an UNTAES official, from a considerable distance. We could say it was an accident," Susa explained. UNTAES' legal advisor Winston Tupman explained that tensions would grow as elections approached, but all legal issues should be dealt with appropriately. Describing the talks as "useful", Tubman voiced his hope that the peaceful reintegration would be completed within the scheduled time frame. (hina) jn vm as 072023 MET feb 97