OSCE'S REACTION TO ALLEGATIONS OF SETTLED CROATS' ASSOCIATIONS

ZAGREB, July 4 (Hina) - The Mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) described a statement issued by the associations of Croat settlers in Korenica and the Plitvicka Jezera branch of the Croatian Identity and Prosperity political organisation as reprehensible. The two organisations accused the police of not doing their job when it comes to Serb returnees, for fear of the OSCE. "The allegations about the position and the activities of the OSCE are unjustified and reprehensible," OSCE Mission spokesman Alessandro Francassetti, told Hina today. Jure Smiljcic, a settler from north-west Bosnia, was killed by a resident of Serb nationality, Dragan Borota, in Gvozd, Sisak- Moslavina County (about 70 kilometres south of Zagreb), on June 30. As a reaction, the association of settled Bosnian Croats in Korenica and the HIP said in a statement yesterday this was not the first murder committed by Serb returnees to the area. Police are taking on a lenient attitude towards Serb returnees because of "fears that the OSCE will accuse them of discrimination", the two organisations stated, accentuating the OSCE was responsible for stressing the alleged discrimination towards Serb returnees in its reports, and keeping quiet when Serb returnees are killing Croats. "The OSCE in its work in Croatia has established a strong cooperation with Bosnian Croats in all parts of Croatia, and particularly in the Lika-Dalmatia area, where it helped with the financing and the establishment of the union and associations of refugee Croat returnees and settlers in Croatia," Francassetti said. He added the OSCE Mission will continue to cooperate with both Croat and Serb refugees "to find a durable solution to their problems". (hina) lml sb