STANIMIROVIC SPEAKS ABOUT TERMINATION OF UNTAES

( Editorial: --> 6446 ) BELGRADE, Dec 6 (Hina) - President of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) in Croatia, Vojislav Stanimirovic, expressed his expectations on Saturday that most Serbs will remain in Croatia's eastern Slavonia after 15 January 1998, when the UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) is scheduled to terminate. Stanimirovic told Belgrade's news agency Beta that he was convinced a number of people who had left the area would return when they "are convinced that the security situation is more or less good". "In the second half of November, about 1,500 people left the area," Stanimirovic said. He added that "nothing special will happen after the departure of international forces, because even now we have no guarantee of safety, as the military component of the UNTAES is practically nonexistent". "I think there will be no incidents (in eastern Slavonia) because this region of Croatia will be under close scrutiny by the UN, and should serve as an example for solving the problem in Bosnia," he said. Croatia will be interested in showing through its actions in the region that it is a democratic country, Simonovic said. Adding that little had been done for the return of refugees, Stanimirovic expressed his expectations that the a greater number of Serbs would return to other areas of Croatia, as well as Croatians to eastern Slavonia by spring. (hina) lm 062111 MET dec 97