KOSTOVIC AND KNEZEVIC CONSIDER PROBLEM OF MISSING PERSONS

ZAGREB, Jan 12 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Kostovic on Wednesday received the head of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's Office in Zagreb, Veljko Knezevic, at his request. Kostovic and Knezevic discussed a suggestion offered by the FRY that Yugoslav commission for humanitarian issues and missing persons and relevant Croatian commission should hold a joint session. The session's goal would be to start resolving the issues of missing people, a statement from Kostovic's office said. Knezevic told Kostovic that the Yugoslav government had appointed a new commission for humanitarian issues with the head Pavle Todorovic. Kostovic emphasized that a joint commission of the Croatian and Yugoslav governments for humanitarian issues, which had been established on 12 January 1994, had achieved no results so far, nor had it held any session. Kostovic said Croatia was willing to resume a new series of talks on missing people because of the seriousness of the problem. Before the joint session at a high level could be held, Croatia expected from the Yugoslav Government to answer concrete questions on missing persons which were delivered to Yugoslavia on 12 January 1994. Yugoslav deputy prime minister had assumed obligation to reply to the questions, Kostovic said. Croatia also requested that a preparatory session at an operational level should be scheduled and agreement on the models of work reached ahead of the joint session, Kostovic added. He emphasized that both the political will and the fulfillment of concrete requests were necessary for resolution of the problem. Knezevic said he would convey to his government in Belgrade the Croatian Government's views. Kostovic had sent a letter with the Croatian Government's positions on this problem to Pavle Todorovic, the head of the Yugoslav Government's commission for humanitarian issues, the statement said. (hina) mar mms 121124 MET jan 95