ZAGREB, May 14 (Hina) - Asked to comment on a report by the US human rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) which said that Zagreb had failed to take significant steps to facilitate the return of Serb refugees, Croatian Deputy
Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said the government had done much in the first five months since it had come to power and that the results of the Ivo Sanader cabinet's efforts in this field would be evident by the end of this year.
ZAGREB, May 14 (Hina) - Asked to comment on a report by the US human
rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) which said that Zagreb
had failed to take significant steps to facilitate the return of Serb
refugees, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said the
government had done much in the first five months since it had come to
power and that the results of the Ivo Sanader cabinet's efforts in
this field would be evident by the end of this year.#L#
In a briefing paper assessing progress on the return of Serb refugees
since September 2003, HRW said that Croatian authorities have made
little progress towards the repossession of Serb-owned properties, but
that virtually no progress had been made in providing alternative
housing for Serbs who lost the right to use state-owned (so-called
"socially-owned") apartments.
Jadranka Kosor told reporters on Friday that the government had done
very much in the first five months and that a clear political decision
with regard to the matter had been made.
"It is the government's sincere commitment and I can assure you that
we shall work on this seriously," Kosor told reporters who gathered at
an event organised in Zagreb to mark the International Day of the
Family on Friday.
She went on to say that apart from the competent ministry, a special
task force had also been established to accelerate refugee returns.
(Hina) ms