NORWAY TO ABOLISH VISAS FOR CROATS ONCE ASYLUM ISSUE IS SOLVED

ZAGREB, Jan 11 (Hina) - The President of the Norwegian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee told Hina on Monday Norway should abolish visas for Croatian citizens as soon as the situation with Croatian Serbs, seeking political asylum there, has normalised. Haakon Blakenborg is heading a Committee delegation visiting Croatia. He said there had been a time when the number of asylum seekers had suddenly increased, which forced Norway to introduce visas. Were the situation to normalise, travel possibilities would also return to normal, he said. Blankenborg hoped visas would soon be revoked because, he said, Norway had no ambitions to implement a 'visa regime' towards certain countries, particularly not close ones such as Croatia. Norway introduced visas for Croatian citizens in mid-1998, after several hundred Serbs from eastern Croatia sought an asylum in that country. According to the latest information, about 2,000 Croatian Serbs have so far applied for Norwegian asylum. Blankendorp said some had been denied, for there was no reason for political asylum, while most people were still waiting for an answer. Some were granted asylum for humanitarian reasons, he concluded. (hina) it/ha