ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - A new Progress Report on Croatia's fulfilment of international obligations will not significantly differ from several previous reports. One can expect further presence of the Organisation for Stabilisation and
Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Mission in Croatia, it was said at a press conference at the OSCE Mission headquarters in Zagreb Wednesday. The head of the Mission, Ambassador Bernard Poncet, said the mission had noted, in its ninth report, progress in the area of judiciary, made with the adoption of new laws or implementation of the existing ones in a more fair manner, and cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. The report will be presented before the OSCE Permanent Council next Thursday. At the same time, a lot needs to be done regarding property restitution, the reconstruction of houses, lost tenancy rights, and a faster implementation of the Law and Decree Adjustment Act
ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - A new Progress Report on Croatia's
fulfilment of international obligations will not significantly
differ from several previous reports. One can expect further
presence of the Organisation for Stabilisation and Cooperation in
Europe's (OSCE) Mission in Croatia, it was said at a press
conference at the OSCE Mission headquarters in Zagreb Wednesday.
The head of the Mission, Ambassador Bernard Poncet, said the
mission had noted, in its ninth report, progress in the area of
judiciary, made with the adoption of new laws or implementation of
the existing ones in a more fair manner, and cooperation with the
Hague Tribunal. The report will be presented before the OSCE
Permanent Council next Thursday.
At the same time, a lot needs to be done regarding property
restitution, the reconstruction of houses, lost tenancy rights,
and a faster implementation of the Law and Decree Adjustment Act,
which all affect the return of refugees.
The progress that has been made in the judiciary refers to new or
revised judicial and institutional processes, such as the
processing of war crimes and amnesty cases, and a police reform,
Poncet said.
As regards property restitution, the mission has noted that the
Croatian government has acted on several occasions with the aim of
returning property to its real owners, especially in double
occupancy cases. The mission has also welcomed the government's
efforts to encourage refugees residing in Yugoslavia and Republika
Srpska to submit requests for the reconstruction of their houses
before the December 31 deadline.
Not enough has been done to change discriminatory provisions of
some laws and eliminate double criteria which are detrimental to
Serbs in the processing of their property restitution requests,
which, along with a hostile behaviour of some local officials,
hampers the return process.
Poncet said the mission urged the government to create a legal
framework for property restitution or fair compensation to those
returnees whose houses will not be returned, which refers to
50,000-60,000 households.
In principle, the Croatian media operate in an open and pluralist
atmosphere, says the mission. At the same time, it believes it is
absurd to constantly postpone the implementation of the Law on the
Croatian Radio-Television and give up the adoption of a new
telecommunications law. The mission also believes laws on the media
have to be adjusted to the international law.
The poor performance of the courts due to the lack of personnel and a
backlog of some 1,340,000 unresolved legal cases also represent a
problem, according to Poncet.
Asked whether he would suggest that the OSCE Permanent Council
extend the mission's mandate for another year, Poncet answered
negatively, stressing the Council would adopt its decision on what
had been noted in the Progress Report, which was why an extension of
the mandate should not surprise anyone.
The OSCE's Permanent Council decides about a possible extension of
the mission's mandate at the end of each year.
(hina) np sb