PRESS CONFERENCE AT RUSSIAN EMBASSY

ZAGREB, Nov 6 (Hina) - Representatives of the Russian Embassy to the Republic of Croatia held a press conference on Saturday at which they spoke of an incident which occurred on All Saints' Day at a checkpoint on the so-called Pacetine road. The public relations official and second secretary in the Russian Embassy, Aleksandar Ivanov, said that the day before All Saints' Day head of the Osijek County Branimir Glavas had forwarded a letter to the Sector East Commander, General Pierre Peeters of Belgium, proposing that All Saints' Day be observed in two places - at the line of disengagement between Osijek and Bilje, controlled by Belgian peace-keepers, and at the line Osijek-Nustar-Marinici, controlled by the Russian Battalion. Since the Osijek-Bilje road was mined, chosen was the Nustar-Brsadin road, said the Russian Embassy spokesman. It was agreed that a group of 200 people would lay wreaths and light candles at the destroyed bridge over the River Vuka but that the bridge must not be crossed, said Ivanov. He explained that the checkpoint manned by members of the UNPROFOR Russian Battalion was 500 metres from the bridge and that the area between the bridge and the checkpoint was forbidden. "There were about 250 people at the bridge, and not thousands of them as newspapers wrote," stressed Ivanov. He said that a group of people, without previous agreement, started to cross the bridge, and that they were accompanied by some armed men. According to Ivanov, three Russian soldiers who were to supervise the event tried to explain to the people that it was dangerous and contrary to the agreement. "There were curses at the expense of our soldiers, and the people continued towards our checkpoint," he said, adding that half an hour later the Russians blocked the way with an armoured vehicle warning them that it was dangerous to walk around for the area was mined. "We tried to explain, but the armed men called on the people to go all the way to Vukovar and other towns in Sector East so that our officer, Lt. Trafimov, was forced to fire two warning shots in the air," said Ivanov. After the arrival of the commander of the Russian Battalion, Col. Sergei Voznyesensky, it was agreed that a group of women go a little farther, but not all the way to the checkpoint, and light candles and lay wreaths. "They did that, thanked Col. Voznyesensky, and one of the women even gave him a cross," said Ivanov. Ivanov expressed dissatisfaction that the Croatian Army had not taken more concrete measures to stop possible incidents. "We express our indignation that on this holy day to the Croatian people such an incident should happen in the area under the control of the Russian Battalion which has done everything to prevent it," said Ivanov. He voiced particular indignation at the fact that the Croatian media "tried to take advantage of the incident to denigrate the Russian soldiers." Ivanov quoted the Sector East Commander, General Peeters, as saying that the steps taken by the Russian soldiers had been in keeping with the previously achieved agreement, and said that he had lodged a protest with Branimir Glavas. When Hina asked about the incident on the day it occurred, the UNPROFOR office in Zagreb had no information on it. It was announced that the Russian Battalion Commander, Col. Voznyesensky, would also attened the press conference today, but, as the Russian Embassy officials said, the UNPROFOR Headquarters did not give him clearance. (END) vm 061709 MET nov 93