ZAGREB, Feb 5 (Hina) - The head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby, has said a recent government announcement regarding tenancy rights is a positive step towards the resolution of this problem.
ZAGREB, Feb 5 (Hina) - The head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Peter
Semneby, has said a recent government announcement regarding
tenancy rights is a positive step towards the resolution of this
problem. #L#
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Semneby commented on Public
Works Minister Radimir Cacic's recent statement that returnees who
had lived in flats with tenancy rights in areas which were not areas
of special state concern, including large Croatian cities, would be
provided with housing.
At a meeting with representatives of international institutions on
Monday Cacic said that people living outside areas of special state
concern would be able to join the Stimulated House-Building
Programme (the so-called POS) under the same conditions as other
citizens.
Ambassador Semneby said that any solution should ensure adequate
housing within a reasonable period of time after the application
was filed.
If implemented adequately, such a plan would be an important step in
providing adequate housing to the priority group of returning
refugees, regardless of which part of the country they came from,
the mission head stated.
Semneby believes that the plan should not be limited only to the new
arrivals but include refugees who have already returned and people
who lost their tenancy rights under similar circumstances but did
not leave the country.
Refugees and displaced people from areas which remained under state
control during the 1991-1995 conflict, particularly in large
cities like Zagreb, Split, Zadar, Rijeka, Osijek and Karlovac are
currently denied housing as compensation for tenancy rights they
were stripped of in court proceedings and there are around 24,000
such families, the statement notes.
By contrast, former tenancy rights holders in areas of special
state concern, who were also stripped of tenancy rights, have been
entitled to apply for housing since last year, the statement
notes.
The Mission further notes that it is ready to provide advice and
monitor the further work on the proposal and its implementation.
(hina) rml sb