Croatian Development Minister Bozidar Kelmeta will present figures on Croatia's progress in the return of refugees and displaced persons. To date 215,000 displaced Croats and 115,000 Serbs have returned to their prewar homes and the Government hopes to close the return issue, one of its main priorities, by the end of 2006. To date more than 131,000 houses and flats have been reconstructed to the amount of 14.9 billion kuna, provided mostly from the national budget, as well as 209 schools to the amount of 800 million kuna. Besides, 94 percent of previously occupied property has been returned to original owners and there are 1,151 houses yet to be returned.
Serbian-Montenegrin representative at this event which is to be closed with the adoption of a joint declaration, is Human Rights and Refugees' Affairs Minister, Rasim Ljajic.
Opening the conference, the chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic said that the issue of the return of refugees and displaced persons should be considered in the context of the three countries' ambitions on the foreign policy front. The Bosnian PM added that what was encouraging was the fact that it was in the interest of the each of the three countries' governments to solve the problems of refugees as soon as possible.
An assistant to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Kamel Morjane, said that it was beyond any doubt that the three countries had achieved considerable progress in the return of refugees over the past nine years. However, a great number of refugees are still waiting for the permanent solution to their status, he added.
According to available data, the largest refugee populations in the region at the end of last year were some 180,000 Croatian refugees who were still living in Serbia-Montenegro and 19,000 refugees staying in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Some 95,000 refugees who fled Bosnia were still in Serbia-Herzegovina and 3,200 in Croatia. Until the end of 2004, nearly 3,500 refugees from Serbia-Montenegro were accommodated in Bosnia and Croatia. To find a permanent solution to the status of those persons who lack the basic means of sustenance, should be of primary importance for today's conference, the UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner said.