EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER VISITS WESTERN SLAVONIA

PAKRAC, May 21 (Hina) - A member of the European Parliament and chairman of the International Pan-European Union, Archduke Otto von Habsburg, visited Pakrac today where he met head of the municipality Vladimir Delac and police superintendent Nikola Ivkanec. Habsburg was informed about civilian life in the hitherto occupied areas of Pakrac and Lipik. "We want people to stay here and that is our objective," Delac said. "It is an exceptional achievement of the Croatian police and army, and of the people as well, that they have liberated an important part of the country with minor losses," Habsburg said. He said that Europe was also partly responsible for what had happened in Croatia. "We'll do all we can to pave the way for Croatia into the European Union because it belongs there. In fact, Europe is inconceivable without Croatia," he told reporters. The chairman of the Croatian Parliament committee for peaceful reintegration of occupied areas, Drago Krpina, said that 1,700 civilians, who had recenly left the Western Slavonia region for Bosnia, had requested to be allowed to return. "Croatia guarantees full safety to all civilians wishing to return to their homes," Krpina stressed. Krpina said that their return depended on Bosnian Serb authorities. "As soon as they are ready to return in an organized way, Croatia will be ready to receive them and guarantee them full security and civil rights," he added. Habsburg was also accompanied by the president of the Pan- European Union of Croatia, Mislav Jezic, the deputy chairman of the Committee for Peaceful Reintegration, Mirko Tankosic, the chairman of the Croatian Parliament Human Rights Committee, Ljubomir Antic, and member of parliament Mate Mestrovic. (hina) vm 212126 MET may 95