ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina) - There are still problems in the return of refugees and displaced persons, as well as in returning property, primarily because of the slow implementation of the Croatian government's set policy, the chief of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby, said in Zagreb on Friday.
ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina) - There are still problems in the return of
refugees and displaced persons, as well as in returning property,
primarily because of the slow implementation of the Croatian
government's set policy, the chief of the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby,
said in Zagreb on Friday. #L#
Semneby presented to the media the chief guidelines of OSCE's
latest report on Croatia, before it is presented at the OSCE
Permanent Council in Vienna on June 6.
According to him, the report contains an assessment of issues
encompassed by the Mission's mandate after September 2001, which
includes the return of refugees, reform of the legislature, media
reform, the application of laws and rule of law, police reform and
work with non-governmental organisations.
Speaking about one of the most important issues -- the return of
refugees, Semneby said that despite the fact that the Croatian
government had in the past several months made some important
political decisions such as an action plan for the return of
property by the end of 2002, and despite its readiness to stimulate
the final adoption of the Law on Minorities in parliament, there
still were problems because of the slow implementation of the
government's policy.
In creating a framework for the sustainable return of refugees,
some key aspects are missing, Semneby said. Among them the most
important is the issue of tenancy right and the need for securing
compensation for those who lost it because of war circumstances.
Starting from the government's intentions, the Mission pointed out
the most important areas in which progress should be achieved in the
next six months: creating a better climate for the return of
refugees and displaced persons, removing the remainder legal and
administrative obstacles for return especially in the return of
property, the development of dialogue with Croatian neighbours in
the region especially regarding the return of refugees,
establishing weaknesses in the judicial system, and allowing
minorities to become more efficiently involved in society and
politics, for which the adoption of the law on minorities was most
important.
It is also necessary to remove conditions for creating political
influence in key sectors of the society, realise progress in the
media field and modernisation of the legislature, and include the
international community in dialogue about key issues.
Semneby pointed out the good atmosphere of cooperation with the
Croatian government in the past several months, and dialogue
realised during the drafting of the report. One of the reasons for
this is last year's signing of the Stabilisation and Association
Agreement with the EU, he said.
He said the Mission was ready to assist the government in solving
issues important for creating political preconditions for a
possible invite to Croatia to begin negotiations on joining the
EU.
(hina) lml