ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - Basic conditions for the return of refugees to Croatia have not been secured yet and the government is therefore urged to create them, participants in a round table discussion, "Return of Refugees to the
Republic of Croatia - Condition for Entry Into the EU", said in Zagreb on Tuesday.
ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - Basic conditions for the return of refugees
to Croatia have not been secured yet and the government is therefore
urged to create them, participants in a round table discussion,
"Return of Refugees to the Republic of Croatia - Condition for Entry
Into the EU", said in Zagreb on Tuesday. #L#
The discussion was organised by the Coalition for the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights, which gathers ten non-governmental
human rights associations.
The associations want to support the government's efforts and are
willing, as before, to join the government and representatives of
international associations in the process of refugee return, it was
said at a news conference held after the event.
Participants in the debate identified main obstacles to the return
of refugees: problems in the regulation of property-rights
relations (restitution of property) and tenancy rights as acquired
rights, reconstruction, employment, development of family farms,
and the inflammatory language of the media. Refugees will be able to
return to Croatia only after these obstacles are removed,
representatives of the associations said, requesting that
international standards and norms ratified by Croatia be applied
consistently.
The associations also urged inspections of the work of regional
offices and field staff.
Apart from representatives of non-governmental associations, the
meeting was also attended by representatives of the OSCE Mission to
Croatia, the Foreign Ministry and the Ombudsman's Office. The
organisers of the event said representatives of the Office for
Displaced Persons and Refugees of the Reconstruction Ministry had
also been invited, but none came.
(hina) rml sb