Kalin paid an official visit to Croatia from 6-8 June at the invitation of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. During the visit, he met the President and the Prime Minister of the Republic, senior officials of government ministries and offices, the Ombudsman, the Council for National Minorities, international agencies and NGOs, the statement said.
"There is a comparatively small group of cases still remaining after the substantial investment already made by the Government," the Representative said, "which calls for commitment of the necessary resources to resolving the situations of these people who have waited for so long".
Kalin called on the government to take the necessary practical steps to give effect to its commitments "in order that the international community can remove the Republic of Croatia from the list of countries around the world where the plight of internally displaced persons is cause for such concern", the statement said.
During the visit, Kalin met with internally-displaced persons in eastern Slavonia and was informed of the ongoing efforts to return displaced persons to their places of former residence, to repossess properties temporarily occupied by others, to provide reconstruction assistance to homes damaged in the armed conflict and to arrange for housing alternatives for former tenancy rights holders.
He was also appraised of efforts undertaken to integrate national minorities into representative and decision-making structure, the statement read.
Kalin welcomed the commitments at the highest political levels to resolving the issue and called on the government, in collaboration with the international partners, to develop effective development and investment strategies for the regions most affected by displacement.