CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES NEWLY-APPOINTED U.N. TRANSITIONAL ADMINIST

ADMINIST $ RATOR ZAGREB, Aug 27 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman received the newly-appointed UN Transitional Administrator of the Croatian Danube region, William Walker, in the Presidential Palace in Zagreb on Wednesday. After 70-minute talks, Walker told reporters that they discussed tasks that should be carried out before the completion of the peaceful reintegration process. Noting that it was his first visit to President Tudjman, Walker described the meeting as positive. Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic, who was also involved in the talks, said that they discussed a number of current issues in a joint effort to complete the UNTAES mandate and the two-way return of displaced persons as soon as possible. We determined some things that had already been agreed upon, such as the replacement of the UNTAES military component with the civilian component at the checkpoints on September 1, Radic said. We also agreed to organise the cultivation of farms which were not mined for those people who would not return to the region before the autumn. Thus those returning there in the spring would be able to enjoy the fruits of their work, he added. Radic expressed confidence in the successful continuation and pace of the peaceful reintegration of the Danube region into Croatia. He said that Croatian car number plates would be fully introduced in the UN-administered region by September 15. (hina) vm 271314 MET aug 97