MILOSEVIC BACKS SERBS TO STAY IN W. SLAVONIA, UN SAYS

ZAGREB, May 10 (Hina) - During talks between the special representative of the UN Secretary-General, Yasushi Akashi, Serbia's President Slobodan Milosevic, and Knin Serb leaders in Belgrade on Tuesday various views were expressed on the issue whether Serb population should remain or leave western Slavonia, Akashi's spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said in Zagreb on Wednesday. Akashi proposed, and President Milosevic backed, that in the aim of stability and the process of reconciliation it would be better if Serb residents remained in western Slavonia, as many as possible, Eckhard said adding that such opinion was in accordance with the Croatian Government's and Akashi's standpoint. 'Knin Serbs believed that UN forces had not given sufficient protection to the Serb population in western Slavonia', he said. Eckhard said that both the Croatian Government and the UN showed readiness to cooperate as regards the creation of international standards in the respect for the human rights in western Slavonia. He told the conference that 73 persons had left western Slavonia for Bosnia-Herzegovina by bus, whereas today another 100 people would leave as well. According to Eckhard, this morning the Croatian Government's chief negotiator with local Serbs, Hrvoje Sarinic, told Yasushi Akashi that 1494 persons had taken from Pakrac for checks and registration, and already 676 of them were released. Another 657 were to be checked, while 161 of them were put under investigation. During the Belgrade talks Akashi demanded that Serb soldiers withdraw from the former zones of separation, Eckhard said. Akashi did not receive a satisfactory answer in the Belgrade talks, but he would continue to exert pressure on both sides, on the Croatian side as well, since it had a considerably larger number of soldiers in the area. The withdrawal of soldiers was very important for the entire stability, Eckhard said. (hina) mm mms 101732 MET may 95