ALL-CLEAR SOUNDS IN OSIJEK AFTER 4 1/2 YEARS

OSIJEK, Feb 22 (Hina) - After four and a half years, the general alert was called off in Osijek, a city near the remaining occupied area of eastern Croatia, on Thursday. The all-clear was sounded at 18.25 hours by US ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith in the presence of Osijek County prefect Branimir Glavas and the head of the government office for restoration of Croatian authority in the occupied area, Ivica Vrkic. The all-clear marked the end of this war in Europe, Galbraith said cheerfully. Galbraith and Glavas together removed a top sandbag from a wall of sandbags protecting the County Administration building, celebrating the event with a bottle of champagne in company of Osijek residents. The symbolic end of red alert was a result of efforts by the Croatian government and the interntional community, particularly the United States, to put a stop to the conflict in former Yugoslavia, Glavas said. Glavas called on the Croatian citizens of Serb nationality in the occupied area to reject arms and accept a peaceful reintegration into Croatia. (hina) vm jn 222232 MET feb 96