ZAGREB, June 10 (Hina) - For three months since Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula and Bosnian Serb entity's Premier Milorad Dodik signed a statement on refugee returns, the Croatian Government has created all preconditions for
the return of its citizens who would like to come back, said a Croatian official, Lovre Pejkovic, in charge of issues of displaced persons and refugees. Pejkovic led a Croatian delegation at the second meeting of the mixed working group of Croatia and the Republic of Srpska, held in the north-western Bosnian city of Banja Luka on Friday. Participants in the Banja Luka meeting presented results achieved in the last three months after Picula and Dodik signed joint statement on March 9 and agreed that 2,000 persons should return to each side in the following three months. Pejkovic told Hina on the phone that the Croatian government had created necessary conditions for
ZAGREB, June 10 (Hina) - For three months since Croatia's Foreign
Minister Tonino Picula and Bosnian Serb entity's Premier Milorad
Dodik signed a statement on refugee returns, the Croatian
Government has created all preconditions for the return of its
citizens who would like to come back, said a Croatian official,
Lovre Pejkovic, in charge of issues of displaced persons and
refugees.
Pejkovic led a Croatian delegation at the second meeting of the
mixed working group of Croatia and the Republic of Srpska, held in
the north-western Bosnian city of Banja Luka on Friday.
Participants in the Banja Luka meeting presented results achieved
in the last three months after Picula and Dodik signed joint
statement on March 9 and agreed that 2,000 persons should return to
each side in the following three months.
Pejkovic told Hina on the phone that the Croatian government had
created necessary conditions for the unimpeded return of Croatian
citizens who wanted to come back. He explained that it did not imply
that all who came back could immediately have their houses
reconstructed or get back their property, but that in accordance to
possibilities, returnees could start exercising their rights.
In the past three months Croatia registered 722 returns but the
processing of the data is usually one month belated as against
developments on the ground and therefore it is possible that by June
9 Croatia fulfilled the quota of 2,000 returnees from the Bosnian
Serb entity, Pejkovic added.
In addition, a few days ago Croatia informed the Republic of Srpska
and international community that Zagreb had approved a list of 574
persons (currently outside Croatia) who can get Croatian travel
papers.
There is a list made by the UNHCR according to the request of 1,210
persons who would like to come back from the Serb-controlled
Bosnian areas into Croatia and they can immediately return.
Besides, the return is allowed to another 400 persons.
Pejkovic recalled that Croatia being interested in the return of
its subjects, had amended the reconstruction act and was going to
change an act on the areas of the special state concern.
That an overall atmosphere has changed is shown by a recent joint
statement of Bosnian Croat refugees, who have found shelter in
Croatia, the Serb national council and the Serb democratic forum on
the coexistence in Croatia's areas of the special state concern.
Pejkovic announced that this week Croatia had forwarded a request
to the Council of Europe development bank for a loan, worth 30
million euro. The means from the loan should be used for the
renovation of homes or finding alternative accommodation if
necessary. The loan may be activated in September, he predicted.
According to sources in the Croatian Foreign Ministry, Croatia
informed the Banja Luka meeting that there are 2,103 refugees who
are enabled to come back, including 722 officially registered
returnees. On Thursday, the Croatian Serb democratic forum
forwarded to Croatian authorities a list of 500 persons who had
returned to western Slavonia (east Croatian region) to date.
Pejkovic told Hina that the Government possessed the data that
3,900 people were ready to come back to Bosnia and over 80 percent of
them refers to the return to the Bosnian Serb entity. Zagreb is to
officially notify Bosnian authorities of this data next week.
The Banja Luka meeting tackled an initiative of the U.S. Secretary
of State, Madeleine Albright, about the reconstruction of 100
houses at each side. In Croatia these houses, which will have been
built by the late July, are scattered over the country, while those
100 houses in the Bosnian Serb entity will be 90 homes in Modrica and
10 in Prnjavor. Bosnian Croat returnees will be able to move in by
the end of summer.
During Friday's meeting it was agreed that Croatian officials grant
interviews to the Bosnian Serb media and vice versa in order to
explain the return process.
Present at the Banja Luka talks were also U.S. diplomats in Croatia
and Bosnia and UNHCR representatives.
The next session of this joint commission is likely to be held in
Zagreb on 7 July.
(hina) ms