BELGRADE, July 18 (Hina) - Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic on Thursday received a delegation of Croatian Serb representatives and dignitaries of the Serb Orthodox Church in Croatia.
BELGRADE, July 18 (Hina) - Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran
Svilanovic on Thursday received a delegation of Croatian Serb
representatives and dignitaries of the Serb Orthodox Church in
Croatia. #L#
They discussed the results of the 2001 census in Croatia, the return
of refugees, the restoration of their property and a constitutional
bill on minorities.
Yugoslav Minister expressed hope that Croatia would soon adopt a
bill on minorities as it was one of obligations Zagreb should meet
because of its relations with the Council of Europe.
According to Svilanovic, the adoption of the law will make it
possible for the two countries "to make the next step in the
bilateral relations, (i.e.) bilateral agreement on the
minorities."
Svilanovic and his guests talked about the treatment of prisoners
arrested during the 1995 Croatian operations "Flash" and "Storm"
and the possibilities for the revision of some court processes
against ethnic Serbs.
Svilanovic said "serious progress" had been achieved during the
talks with the Croatian side on the destiny of missing persons.
He assessed that Yugoslav-Croatian relations had considerably been
developed for the last year and added that the two countries "are at
the moment able to seriously tackle the most difficult issues in the
bilateral relations."
The head of the Serb National Council (SNV), Milorad Pupovac, said
that after the results of the latest census in Croatia, Serbs who
had fled to Yugoslavia "must not be treated as the past for Croatia
and as a people to whom Croatia has no longer any obligation."
He informed that Croatian authorities and the ethnic Serb
representatives had intensified negotiations in the last two weeks
on changes of the draft constitutional act on minorities.
There is no doubt that the key issue in the return of refugees is the
resolution of the problems pertaining to their assets, Pupovac said
adding that the help of the international community was needed in
this field.
Pupovac urged the cancellation of the visa regime between the two
countries.
(hina) ms