OPPOSITION AGAINST CHANGING LAW ON AREAS OF SPECIAL STATE CONCERN

ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - Opposition MPs on Wednesday criticised amendments to the law on areas of special state concern whereby the houses and flats of mainly Serbs who fled or left Croatia, currently occupied by refugees and the displaced mainly from Bosnia, should be restituted by year's end. Vladimir Seks of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said the amendments were the result of constant pressure from the international community to return houses and flats to Serb refugees without taking into account the fate of Bosnian Croat refugees. The Opposition particularly objects to a temporary accommodation decree, saying nobody should be deprived of accommodation because they have a house or flat in Bosnia only on paper, but cannot actually return due to political and security reasons. Dubravka Horvat of the ruling coalition's Social Democrats (SDP) pointed to irregularities in the field, citing the example of people who can return to Bosnia but do not want to, leasing their houses or flats instead. The HDZ MPs countered by saying that individual abuses should not be generalised. Milan Djukic of the national minorities' bench commended the bill, saying it was the first to contain provisions which did not discriminate against any group. All MPs agreed the deadlines for the exchange and restitution of property, which this year will cost Croatia's taxpayers around 600 million kuna (EUR80 million), were too short. The Opposition and the ruling coalition were also agreed as to their discontent with criteria under which certain municipalities would fall under the third category of areas of special government concern, in this case undeveloped areas. (hina) ha sb