SECOND STAGE OF MINE DISPOSAL OPERATION IN EASTERN CROATIA BEGINS

OSIJEK, Feb 18 (Hina) - The second stage of a mine clearance operation is beginning in UN-administered eastern Croatia and will concentrate on agricultural land, forests and infrastructure, Croatian officials in charge of the operation told Croatian and Serb reporters in the eastern city of Osijek on Tuesday. General Zvonimir Cervenko, government commissioner for mine disposal operations, and Major General Slavko Baric, head of the centre for mine disposal operations in the Danube region, discussed in Osijek on Tuesday the beginning of the second stage of demining with UNTAES official Major Elie Liebaut and the head of the Vukovar-based Serb-run mine disposal company TNT, Veselin Rakinic. Baric described the work done last year as successful. He said that the first stage had included the removal of mines from houses and yards in a number of towns and villages in the region. Baric stressed that it would take at least ten years to clear the region of mines. He specified which areas would be included in the second stage, which he said would be more difficult because it would concentrate on the removal of mines from farm land and forests. Baric said that it would be necessary to set priorities because Croatia had limited financial and technical resources. Cervenko said that the Croatian government had earmarked 165 million kuna ($30 million) for demining operations in 1997 and the Interior Ministry had been granted a $30 million loan for that purpose. Cervenko said that seven billion kuna ($1.27 billion) would not be sufficient for the job as estimated. Cervenko praised the Osijek-based centre for mine disposal operations, emphasizing that a similar centre would be set up at the national level. Since about 7,600 square kilometres of land in the UN-administered region is sown with mines, Cervenko said that he would propose that the national mine disposal centre be based in Osijek. (hina) vm jn 182137 MET feb 97