U.N. PRESS CONFERENCE ON SITUATION IN EASTERN CROATIA

OSIJEK, April 6 (Hina) - UNCRO spokeswoman Kirsten Haupt held a press conference in Osijek today on the situation in the former UN Sector East. Last night rebel Serbs hijacked a UNCRO civilian police vehicle travelling to Dalj, Haupt said. On April 4, Serb soldiers held up a UNCRO civilian police patrol and took them to Dalj. The UN personnel were released after several hours, she said. Haupt said that Serb and Croatian military and civilian police were creating problems to UN peackeepers in conducting regular patrols. Asked to comment on the arrival of Yugoslav army troops and tanks in the Baranja region of eastern Croatia, Haupt said that she had discussed the matter with UN Belgian Battalion officers and that they had denied the incursion. Haupt said she was sursprised that foreign newspapers were writing about it because there was no confirmation that the incursion had taken place. Haupt described an incident at the Batina bridge over the Danube river (border between Croatia and Serbia) when rebel Serbs demanded that Belgian peacekeepers remove obstacles from the bridge. The Belgians removed the obstacles but did not leave the bridge as the Serbs had demanded, she added. Commenting on the situation in the former UN Sector East after the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 981, UNCRO civilian affairs coordinator Phillipe Corwin said that people in the occupied areas were very interested in details of the new UN mandate for Croatia. Meanwhile, combat readiness was increasing and there were no signs of demilitarization, he added. Haupt said the UNCRO would continue to supervise the observance of the 29 March 1994 ceasefire agreement, assist in humanitarian efforts and attempt to provide protection of minorities. (hina) jn vm 061801 MET apr 95