PRISONERS-OF-WAR HELD IN CUSTODY IN VARAZDIN, BJELOVAR, POZEGA

ZAGREB, May 5 (Hina) - The Defence Ministry today strongly protested over "biased allegations" contained in a report submitted yesterday to the UN Security Council by UN undersecretary Chinmay Gharekhan. "These allegations are "pro-Serbian, fabricated and malicious," head of the Ministry's political department, Brigadier Ivan Tolj, told a press conference. Tolj said all people in western Slavonia were being treated in a civilised and humane way. "There hasn't been a single instance of revenge on the part of Croatian forces," he emphasised. Members of the 51th brigade of the 18th corps of the so-called 'Krajina' brigade were also being treated decently, Tolj said. After the application of the Amnesty Act, they would be allowed to decide whether they wanted to live peacefully in Croatia or go somewhere else. Military police chief, Maj. Gen. Mate Lausic, said that prisoners-of-war were being treated in strict accordance with the international conventions on treatment of prisoners-of-war of 1929 and 1949 and the Protocol of 1977. Prisoners-of-war were currently held in custody in three facilities: 520 prisoners were held in a gymnasium in Bjelovar, 400 in a gymnasium in Varazdin and 100 in a military police facility in Pozega, Lausic specified, adding that more prisoners were expected. European monitors and Military Tribunal representatives were present in all three facilities, he said. A large group of Croatian and foreign reporters, escorted by military police, set out for Pakrac at 13:00 hours today. (hina) mm as 051707 MET may 95