SARAJEVO, March 18 (Hina) - The process of evictions in Drvar is carried out in line with laws in effect in Bosnia, and the situation in this municipality is no different from any other parts of the country, the UNHCR Mission in
Sarajevo said. Explaining problems which occurred after Croat refugees were evicted from houses in Drvar which were returned to their pre-war owners of Serb nationality, UNHCR spokeswoman in Sarajevo, Aida Feraget, said that 14 families who recently arrived in Knin in Croatia did in fact receive eviction orders, and that there is nothing to be disputed in the act of local authorities. The only specific issue about Drvar is that before the war, Serbs made up for 99 percent of the population, Feraget said. She added that 685 Serbs returned to the municipality since the beginning of January 2001. In the case of evictions of Croat families, the UNHCR says the local authorities are only doing their job to which
SARAJEVO, March 18 (Hina) - The process of evictions in Drvar is
carried out in line with laws in effect in Bosnia, and the situation
in this municipality is no different from any other parts of the
country, the UNHCR Mission in Sarajevo said.
Explaining problems which occurred after Croat refugees were
evicted from houses in Drvar which were returned to their pre-war
owners of Serb nationality, UNHCR spokeswoman in Sarajevo, Aida
Feraget, said that 14 families who recently arrived in Knin in
Croatia did in fact receive eviction orders, and that there is
nothing to be disputed in the act of local authorities.
The only specific issue about Drvar is that before the war, Serbs
made up for 99 percent of the population, Feraget said. She added
that 685 Serbs returned to the municipality since the beginning of
January 2001.
In the case of evictions of Croat families, the UNHCR says the local
authorities are only doing their job to which law binds them.
These are families registered as 'double users' because before they
were evicted, they were offered their pre-war property, mostly in
Posavina and Central Bosnia, Feraget said.
In line with Bosnian property laws, they were obliged to leave the
houses belonging to others, and if they wished to stay in Drvar,
they could have done so by securing their own accommodation.
The very strict restrictions in that regard were set in December
2001 when the High Representative set the conditions for allocating
alternative accommodation to avoid previous manipulation.
The announcements of possible thousands more Croat families
crossing over to Croatia from Drvar are exaggerated, the UNHCR
said.
There are currently 850 families living in homes in Drvar for which
their owners have requested to be returned to them.
(hina) lml