STATEMENT BY INITIATIVE FOR SERB PEOPLE'S CONGRESS

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - "Initiative for Serb People's Congress, as a non-governmental and non-political organization, is ready to participate in elections for local self-rule," in eastern Croatia under the U.N. transitional administration, said it in a statement on Thursday. The Initiative said "discredited persons, organizations and institutions of the Serb national community," from the occupied Croatian Danubian area were trying to impose their political standpoints for principles of solving a civic status of all Serb in Croatia. "It's high time Serb people refused 'leaders'" and relied on Croatia's state institutions, the Initiative said. It supported the Croatian Government's endeavour to implement Croatia's constitutional and legal system in all areas, and wanted the elections in the Croatian Danubian area as soon as possible. The Initiative also backed demands of all dislocated people to return to their homes under equal conditions where they used to live according to the 1991 census, said the statement signed by Veselin Pejnovic and Radovan Vukelic. (hina) jn mš 101744 MET oct 96