CROATIA GRANTS CITIZENSHIP TO THREE SERB YOUTHS FROM UNPA

ZAGREB, March 2 (Hina) - Croatian authorities today granted citizenship certificates to three young Serb men from an occupied area who travelled to Zagreb to buy themselves new Levis jeans. Zarko Knezevic, 22, Djordje Zestic, 24, and Ozren Cvijanovic also 24, today spoke at a press conference in Zagreb. They said they had just travelled along the recently reopened Zagreb-Lipovac highway from Okucani, a town in UN Sector West, about 150 kms east of Zagreb. They often used the highway to get to nearby Nova Gradiska to buy fuel. On their way to Nova Gradiska yesterday, they stopped at the Lipovljani check point and asked Croatian police for permission to visit Zagreb. They were instructed to report to another police check point at Ivanja Reka, just outside Zagreb. "We have the right to citizenship because we were born here," said Ozren Cvijanovic, who was born in Nova Gradiska. Zarko Knezevic, who was born in Pakrac, said they actually had intended to go to Zagreb to buy new Levi's and take a walk around the city before returning to Okucani. They said that many Serbs from Okucani went shopping in Nova Gradiska but they did not know if anyone had ventured all the way to Zagreb. Asked if they were afraid of the possible consequences of their trip, they said, "yeah, a bit", and responding to questions on the possible resumption of war, they said "we'll fight against it." (hina) mm sd vm 021905 MET mar 95