MESIC CALLS ON INT. COMMUNITY TO HELP SOLVE REFUGEE PROBLEMS

OKUCANI, June 15 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Thursday assessed that the town of Okucani was faced with the problem of the conflict of two rights - the right to life and the right to property and this problem must be solved gradually and in a tolerant manner. "In its attempts to settle this issue Croatia does not make differences in the religious or ethnic descent and would like that secure and safe conditions be created for Croats who would come back to Bosnia-Herzegovina or Vojvodina (northern FRY), or that stable accommodation be ensured for those who want to remain in Croatia," Mesic said attending a ceremony of marking Okucani Day. The Croatian President called on the international community to be engaged in bids to settle the problem and warned that the international community could partly be held responsible for the current situation in Croatia and neighbouring countries, owing to its slowness and appeasement in the treatment of (the incumbent Yugoslav President) Slobodan Milosevic. Okucani authorities, who welcomed Mesic, complained about the problem regarding the return of Croatian Serb refugees and the provision of alternative accommodation and status to some 4,000 Croat refugees who came from Bosnia or Vojvodina and who are now staying in Serb houses in this western Slavonian municipality (about 80 kilometres east of Zagreb). (hina) mm ms