BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 3717 HINA ZAGREB, AUGUST 11

HR-UNITED STATES-Politika BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 3717 HINA ZAGREB, AUGUST 11 UNITED STATES WELCOMES INCREASED NUMBER OF RETURNS TO CROATIAWASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Hina) - The United States welcomes the efforts of Croatian President Stipe Mesic and Prime Minister Ivica Racan aimed at continuing democratic changes as well as the efforts they are making toward reconciliation and acceptance of the return of minority citizens to Croatia, read a special statement released by the State Department on Thursday. Department Spokesman Richard Boucher, who signed the statement, said that UNHCR data showed that about 8,000 Croatian Serb refugees had returned in an organised manner to Croatia in the first six months of 2000 and the number of returnees could reach 20,000 by the end of this year. President Mesic on Thursday estimated that about 60,000 refugees had returned to Croatia so far, including 10,000 returns in the first half of this year. The State Department reminds that at their talks