OSIJEK, 12 Oct (Hina) - Osijek County authorities on Saturday decided to close the UNTAES (U.N. Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia) market on the Osijek-Klisa road, which was opened more than a month ago and served as a
meeting point for separated families and persons from both sides of the separation zone.
OSIJEK, 12 Oct (Hina) - Osijek County authorities on Saturday
decided to close the UNTAES (U.N. Transitional Administration in
Eastern Slavonia) market on the Osijek-Klisa road, which was opened
more than a month ago and served as a meeting point for separated
families and persons from both sides of the separation zone. #L#
Osijek County authorities said that the market had been closed
because of health security of the population living in the
liberated part of Osijek County and the prevention of the spreading
of infectious cattle diseases. The decision had been prompted by
several cases of infection, county authorities said.
The market would stay closed until UNTAES provided necessary
sanitary conditions for the gathering of large number of people and
started sanitary control of meat and meat products, which, despite
bans, kept coming into free parts of Croatia. UNTAES should also
start sanitary controls of persons selling food at the market and
secure working conditions for sanitary, veterinary and market
inspections.
Despite today's ban, some 500 persons appeared at the market,
but left after they had been told that the market had been closed
for sanitary reasons.
Sanitary inspector Zeljko Kuric said that the epidemiological
and sanitary services had still not been allowed to visit the area
under UNTAES control. The health of persons who were coming from
both sides of the separation zone was threatened and the market had
to be closed, the head of the County Health Office, Dusko Rasic,
said.
Osijek County Prefect Branimir Glavas told the Croatian news
agency Hina that county authorities were aware of their
responsibility for the health of their citizens and had therefore
decided to close the market. Glavas added that county leadership
would continue to support all efforts aimed at the peaceful
reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area.
UNTAES has issued a statement on today's closing of the
market, saying it was 'deeply disappointed with the decision on the
closing of the market'. More than 45,000 people from both sides of
the separation zone had met at the same market during the past
several weeks, the statement said.
UNTAES had not received any official statement on the causes
of the closing neither had it been informed about medical or
sanitary findings on which county authorities based their decision,
the statement said.
'Such steps are contrary to very important measures aimed at
building trust and they can only slow down the process of peaceful
reintegration', the statement said, adding UNTAES firmly believed
that meetings at the market had humanitarian value for the
implementation of the U.N. Security Council mandate.
The market would be opened next Saturday and UNTAES hoped that
Osijek County authorities would allow citizens to come to the
market, the UNTAES statement said.
(hina) rm
121453 MET oct 96