OVER 1,000 FAMILIES GRANTED RETURN TO DANUBIAN AREA

OIJEK, Aug 25 (Hina) - Over 1,000 families received confirmation about the plan of return to the Croatian Danube river region so far, and the process would be accelerated, head of the Osijek Regional Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees, Nada Arbanas, said at Monday's session of the Osijek-Baranja County Displaced Persons' Administrative Board. A group of 170 displaced persons had last week left the Croatian Danubian area for other parts of Croatia, and 220 other persons had been planned to leave the region this week, Arbanas said. The county's Displaced Persons' Association, Zvonko Bugarin, said that due to unacceptable conditions requested by UNTAES, the opening of the art colony "Days of Return to Ernestinovo '97" which was to have taken place in Ernestinovo for the first time after the aggression on Croatia was postponed. UNTAES had requested that at the opening, besides the Croatian national anthem, the solemn Serb song "God of Justice" be struck up, which had been described by the Croatian side as unacceptable, Bugarin said, adding that the art colony would be opened in Osijek on 30 August. (hina) lm 252151 MET aug 97