U.N. REQUIRES US43 MILLION FOR PROJECTS IN CROATIA THIS YEAR

ZAGREB, Jan 13 (Hina) - The United Nations has asked its donors to provide about $US43 million for UN agencies operating in Croatia in 1999, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Zagreb, Andrej Mahecic, told reporters on Wednesday. According to a statement issued jointly by the UNHCR and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), distributed at today's news conference, a total of $US359.4 million are required in 1999 for Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Albania. Speaking about UNHCR's basic goals in Croatia this year, for which the organisation has required 18.4 million dollars from donors, Mahecic said the UNHCR would continue to provide food and other supplies to returnees and long-term assistance to returnees and the most destitute social groups, as well as support peace-building and implementation of projects in areas of return. January is the month of preparations, Mahecic said expressing hope that the state commission for return would in 1999 perform its tasks actively and in a satisfactory manner. The UNHCR is looking forward to good results from the state commission as regards the whole process of return in 1999, he said. According to the statement, the commission was frequently too slow in decision-making last year. Due to its mistakes, local housing commissions did not have clear operating instructions, or sometimes had instructions which were in opposition to the Return Programme, which obstructed the return process, the statement read. Mahecic also spoke of the most recent data on return to Croatia. Since mid December until January 14, 1,627 persons returned to their homes in an organised manner, while another 1,207 returned outside of the Return Programme. The total number of returnees since June 1998, when the Croatian Government made the Return Programme public, is 14,448. (hina) mm rml