UNTAES MILITARY COMMANDER TO ARRIVE IN CROATIA IN MID-MARCH

BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (Hina) - The official transfer of authority from the commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Eastern Slavonia, Belgian General Freddy van de Vege, to the commander of the military component of the UN Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES), Belgian General Jozef Schoups, will take place on March 14, officials in Brussels said on Wednesday. Gen. Schoups will arrive in Croatia in early March and the headquarters of his force will be located in Vukovar. The Belgian news agency BELGA said that the UNTAES force would have about 4,500 troops if Pakistan agreed to contribute its soldiers. Talks with Islamabad on sending 980 Pakistani troops were in progress. A total of eight countries will contribute troops to the UNTAES force. Belgian and Russian soldiers have been in Eastern Slavonia since 1992 while Argentinian, Jordanian, Pakistani, Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian troops will be deployed in the Croatian Danubian region much better armed than their peacekeeping colleagues with the UNCRO mission. The UNTAES force will be armed with tanks, assault helicopters and heavy artillery and can also count on NATO air support. US troops on the ground will set up two or three centres for coordination with the NATO-led peace Implementation Force (IFOR) in neighbouring Bosnia. The United States is also expected to provide logistic and intelligence support to the UNTAES mission. (hina) vm mm 211338 MET feb 96