ZAGREB, May 30 (Hina) - During its session on Thursday, the Croatian government is expected to consider a national programme for voluntary delivery of arms and to set up a working group for the implementation of this programme by 22
February 2002. The Interior Ministry, which has drawn up the programme, states that so far citizens have been able to deliver voluntarily or legalise arms and ammunition they possess in six periods. The last period started on 22 February this year and the deadline for the voluntary hand-over will be 22 February 2002. Until then all who give weapons to police will not be punished, but after the expiry of the deadline imprisonment between one and five years may be the punishment for anybody who illegally posses weapons. In the six past actions, citizens handed over 27,024 pieces of fire-arms, 1,603,022 pieces of mines and explosive devices, 2,778,982 pieces of ammunition
ZAGREB, May 30 (Hina) - During its session on Thursday, the Croatian
government is expected to consider a national programme for
voluntary delivery of arms and to set up a working group for the
implementation of this programme by 22 February 2002.
The Interior Ministry, which has drawn up the programme, states
that so far citizens have been able to deliver voluntarily or
legalise arms and ammunition they possess in six periods. The last
period started on 22 February this year and the deadline for the
voluntary hand-over will be 22 February 2002. Until then all who
give weapons to police will not be punished, but after the expiry of
the deadline imprisonment between one and five years may be the
punishment for anybody who illegally posses weapons.
In the six past actions, citizens handed over 27,024 pieces of fire-
arms, 1,603,022 pieces of mines and explosive devices, 2,778,982
pieces of ammunition and 3,852 kilograms of army explosive.
However, many citizens still illegally posses great amounts of arms
which left from the Homeland Defence War in early 1990s. In recent
years, unfortunately, the illegal weapons were used in many
criminal acts.
Between 1996 and 2000, of 557 cases of murder, 299 were committed by
firearms, and mostly of them were illegally possessed.
The interior ministry and the public are especially concerned with
the problem when citizens who have illegal weapons leave them at
public places instead of transferring them to their nearby police
stations.
Tomorrow, the Ivica Racan Cabinet will consider a draft national
programme for the promotion of sex equality and decide to initiate a
process for concluding free trade agreements with EFTA member
countries - Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Island and Norway.
(hina) ms