ZAGREB, Dec 18 (Hina) - The Community of Croat Refugees, Returnees and Settlers and other refugee associations on Monday called on the Croatian government, international community and authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina to adopt
concrete decisions and secure respect for the basic human rights to native place and dignified living for Bosnian Croat refugees, returnees and settlers in Croatia and give them the right to chose for themselves to return to their previous places of residence or stay in Croatia. At a convention held at the Zagreb City Hall, the community adopted a document with nine conclusions calling on the government, BH authorities and the international community to take a clear stand toward permanent and just solutions for all refugees and displaced persons and offer the necessary assistance in the implementation of return programmes and help those who want to return or integrate i
ZAGREB, Dec 18 (Hina) - The Community of Croat Refugees, Returnees
and Settlers and other refugee associations on Monday called on the
Croatian government, international community and authorities in
Bosnia-Herzegovina to adopt concrete decisions and secure respect
for the basic human rights to native place and dignified living for
Bosnian Croat refugees, returnees and settlers in Croatia and give
them the right to chose for themselves to return to their previous
places of residence or stay in Croatia.
At a convention held at the Zagreb City Hall, the community adopted
a document with nine conclusions calling on the government, BH
authorities and the international community to take a clear stand
toward permanent and just solutions for all refugees and displaced
persons and offer the necessary assistance in the implementation of
return programmes and help those who want to return or integrate
into their new places of residence.
Attending today's convention were representatives of the
government, parliament, UNHCR, OSCE, European Commission, U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) and numerous
representatives of settlers' associations.
The purpose of the convention is establishing dialogue and
improving cooperation between different associations of refugees
who want to stay in Croatia or return to Bosnia-Herzegovina and
ethnic groups, Croatian government and international
organisations operating in Croatia.
A total of 450,000 Croat have emigrated from Bosnia-Herzegovina
since 1992, of whom most fled to west European countries, one third
to overseas countries and one third to Croatia. The return is very
slow and the best proof of that is the number of Croat returnees to
the Bosnian Serb entity - only some 500.
Vice Premier Zeljka Antunovic said the convention was a major step
toward a different approach to resolving return problems,
regardless of nationality and in a much more efficient way.
Representatives of refugee associations have identified problems
and discovered ways of securing returns and human rights protection
which correspond with the government's methods, she said.
Over the past decade refugees were promised other people's property
and an opportunity to live in Croatia although this violated the
Croatian Constitution which guarantees the inviolability of
private property, Vice Premier Goran Granic said.
Such a situation was present in Croatia and it was believed that
Serb returns should be discouraged. That is changing now and the
Government advocates the right to return or stay for every man,
regardless of nationality, Granic said.
"We want the establishment of individual and not collective
responsibility for war crimes," he said, promising the
government's support in the resolution of return-related problems
and urging the international community to join those efforts.
(hina) rml