UNPROFOR PRESS RELEASE

Zagreb, Nov 15 (Hina) - UNPROFOR's Head of Civil Affairs, Cedric Thornberry, described as "encouraging" assurances from the Croatian Government that its Special Police Forces had begun a complete withdrawal from Sector West, said UNPROFOR spokeswoman Shannon Boyd on Monday. The UN Force Commander, General Jean Cot, Cedric Thornberry and the Sector West commander, Brigadier-General Kamal Shabsough had been given preliminary assurances at a November 11 meeting with Croatian Interior Minister Ivan Jarnjak. Brigadier-General Shabsough reported last night that Croatian Special Police Forces - 76 persons in all - had withdrawn from the area of Masicka Sagovina and Sirinci by 20:30 and 21:30 hours respectively. They had been escorted by the units of the Nepalese Battalion to the Croatian Police Station at Cernik, about four kilometres outside the eastern border of Sector West. A Croatian police vehicle carrying heavy equipment was also escorted out of the UN Protected Area. UNPROFOR has been carrying out cease-fire negotiations and pursuing other initiatives in each of the four Sectors in recent weeks as part of its step-by-step approach towards an overall cease-fire agreement, said the statement. 152209 MET nov 93