CROATIA READY TO ABOLISH VISAS FOR SERBIA AS SOON AS IT GETS BACK REGISTERS

ZAGREB, June 2 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic Marinovic said Monday that Croatia was prepared to abolish visas for Serbia as soon as it returned Croatia's registers of births, marriages and deaths stolen during the Homeland War. #L# Marinovic said this at the end of Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic's visit to Zagreb. Batic voiced Serbia's readiness to do so. "There are no obstacles for that," he said. Serbia-Montenegro's Council of Ministers last week abolished visas for countries of the European Union, neighbouring countries, including Croatia, and several other countries. "We expect Croatia to do the same," the Serbian minister said. Marinovic said that an obstacle for Croatia to do so were registers which had been taken to Serbia from some of occupied areas in Croatia during the Homeland War and still not returned. "The Croatian government is prepared to abolish visas for Serbia as soon as the registers are given back," she said, explaining that the registers can help in bids to solve issues important for the legal status and the rights of Croatian citizens, including those who fled Croatia. Batic promised the registers would be returned soon, and voiced expectation that then Croatia would abolish visas. (hina) lml sb