VRKIC SENDS A STRONG PROTEST TO ARNOLD

OSIJEK, Dec 4 (Hina) - The head of the Croatian Government's office for the temporary administration, Ivica Vrkic, this evening forwarded a strong protest to the UNTAES against Wednesday's incident in Vukovar when Serb extremists physically abused Croatian journalists and did not let them to attend the exhibition of paintings by Croatian and Serb children. Vrkic sent a letter to a spokesman for the UNTAES, Philip Arnold, demanding from the UNTAES to take all necessary measures, in line with its mandate, in order to prevent any security threats against people who tour the Croatian Danubian area. "By yesterday's visit of the President of the Republic of Croatia Franjo Tudjman to the Croatian Danubian area, a big step was made in the process of the peaceful reintegration," the latter said adding that by this step the UNTAES had confirmed tasks and reasons for its mission. However, Tuesday's statement by President Tudjman that there were still such persons in the area under the U.N. Transitional Administration whose activities were against the process of the peaceful reintegration, was, unfortunately, confirmed already on the following day, Vrkic said in the letter. The physical attack against Croatian reporters in front of a Serb cultural centre in Vukovar on Wednesday, which posed a security threat against the reporters, proved that what had happened there was far from a peaceful civil protest, Vrkic added. (hina) mm mš 042131 MET dec 96