A BRIEF LOOK TO CROATIAN PRESS ON FRIDAY

ZAGREB, Feb 2 (Hina) - Today's Zagreb-based daily of Vjesnik quotes officials with the government Office for displaced persons and refugees as saying that 40,000 displaced people would return to the newly liberated areas. Another front page headline says that current state television manager was relieved and appointed is current Transportation and Communication Minister Ivica Mudrinic. "We know that 24 persons, who had been reported missing, are in fact in prisons in Yugoslavia," says Major Ivan Grujic, head of the Government Commission for Missing and Imprisoned, in an interview. The paper devotes its two mid-pages peaceful reintegration of the eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Syrmium region. Another Zagreb-based daily of Vecernji List carries a front page story on division of the former Yugoslav federation's gold reserves. The paper carries a comment piece on the book "The Last Days of SFRJ" (former Yugoslav federation) written by Borisav Jovic, former president of Yugoslav presidency and until recently a top- ranking official in Serbian Milosevic's nomenklatura. "Jovic's allegations, saying that the former federation was crashed by 'secessionists' (Croatia and Slovenia), are now quite clearly denied by the BBC's documentary 'Death of Yugoslavia', currently broadcasted in Croatia," the commentator says. The paper carries an interview with British Ambassador to Croatia, Gavin Wallace Hewitt, on occasion of Foreign Minister Mate Granic's visit to the United Kingdom. "Dr. Granic's visit marks the beginning of an interesting period in our relations," Hewitt says, adding that other Croatian government figures such as Borislav Skegro, Jure Radic and Davorin Mlakar were also about to visit London, while a British state minister Nicholas Bonsor would soon arrive in Zagreb. (Hina) jn bk 021404 MET feb 96