RUSSIA SUPPORTS CROATIA'S LETTER OF INTENT -AMBASSADOR

ZAGREB, Feb 3 (Hina) - Russia supports the Croatian government's letter of intent to the UN Security Council on the completion of the peaceful reintegration of UN-administered eastern Croatia and considers it a good foundation for the completion of the process, Russian ambassador to Croatia Alexander Georgievich Axenyonok said in Zagreb on Monday. The letter is a sign of the good will of the Croatian government and a good foundation for further steps in the peaceful reintegration and for the acceleration of this process, Axenyonok told reporters after talks with Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Kostovic on the peaceful reintegration process and upcoming local elections. Journalists asked the ambassador, who is also Russia's special envoy for the Croatian Danubian area, to explain his country's stance in the Security Council during the adoption of a presidential statement on the Croatian government's letter and to answer whether Russia would continue to support unrealistic demands by the Serbs in the Danubian area. Russia took an active part in the passage of the presidential statement and wanted to ensure the fulfilment of guarantees given to the Serb population in the region, Axenyonok said. Russia proposed its draft of the presidential statement in which the Croatian government and the local Serbs were treated as equal subjects, supporting Serb demands for establishing a single county in the area and for holding elections when conditions had been met. Commenting on Russia's stance during the passage of the presidential statement, Kostovic said: "That's behind us. We have a presidential statement of the UN Security Council which is favourable to Croatia." "We have given the ambassador guarantees that all the views from the letter of intent are practicable," Kostovic said, adding that Axenyonok would relay a clear message to the Serbs to renounce their unrealistic demands. Axenyonok declined to comment on the latest incidents in the UN-administered region caused by Serbs, including the planting of explosive devices and killings, asserting that there was no information about what had really happened there. (hina) vm jn 031812 MET feb 97