1998 WILL BE YEAR DISPLACED PERSONS WILL REMEMBER - OZBOLT

( Editorial: --> 1779 ) OSIJEK, Dec 31 (Hina) - "The UNTAES mandate is completed and after 15 January the Croatian Danube river region will formally be in the hands of the state of Croatia," chairwoman of the Croatian National Trust Establishment Committee, Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, told the "Glas Slavonije" daily on Wednesday. Regarding certain doubts in international diplomatic circles that Croatia was not honest in its intentions, but was doing everything on order to satisfy a formality, Ozbolt warned that the whole Croatian politics had focused on the continuation of the process even when international forces were no longer in Croatia. "After all, we are not doing this for the international community, but for ourselves," she added. Expressing satisfaction with the security situation in the UN- administered Danube river region, Ozbolt said we must not be unrealistic and believe that there will be no incidents. "If there are (incidents), they will decrease in seriousness and frequency, I am convinced," she stressed. Speaking about the reconstruction of the Danubian area, she said that the Croatian government, together with the international community, was preparing a new donors' conference, most probably for March 1998. Next year would be a year for displaced persons to remember, Ozbolt said, adding that "as they have never forgotten 1991 when they were forced to leave their homes, 1998 will bring them return". "A new period begins with the new year for every displaced person, in which reconstruction, return and a better life will certainly have a major role," Ozbolt stressed. (hina) lm 311331 MET dec 97