MINISTRY SPOKESMAN ON CENSUS AMONG CROATIANS LIVING ABROAD

ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - The Foreign Ministry has taken all the necessary measures in connection with the conducting of a census among Croatian citizens abroad, ministry spokesman Goran Rotim said on Friday. The census will be conducted through consular offices, Croatian clubs, the Croatian Catholic mission, and the Serb Democratic Forum on Yugoslav territory, said Rotim. He stressed the census would include Croatian citizens with residence in Croatia. The census of Croatians living abroad is conducted between March 1 and 31. Some 200,000 census questionnaires have been forwarded. The president of the Croatian Wolrd Congress, Simun Sito Coric, has warned on Thursday that ostensibly many Croatian citizens abroad will be unable to participate in the census and protested against the Croatian authorities' lack of concern. Coric's complaints primarily refer to the fact that the questionnaires are not delivered to home addresses, as is the practice with other states, but have to be collected in consular offices, which are often far away in many Croatians' cases. Competent Foreign Ministry services have said the Census Law was passed by parliament and that activities are conducted within budgetary possibilities. Sending questionnaires to home addresses would be very expensive. (hina) ha sb