VUKOVAR VUKOVAR, Feb 24 (Hina) - Many citizens of Vukovar, mainly Serbs, have been coming to the Vukovar Town Hall with requests to exercise their right to buy flats. The head of Vukovar's office for the management of the town's
property, Branka Zuvic, said she was surprised at a storm of about 500 applications so far submitted to the office. She could not know who and why had spread such rumours among Vukovar citizens about alleged possibilities of buying flats in the Croatian Danube river area. There is no such possibility for the time being, Zuvic said. The time has not come for the purchase of flats in war-affected eastern Croatia, since a great part of 6,000 Vukovar flats have not yet been reconstructed. A price for square metre is not known as well. Some flats are being occupied by persons who were granted the "right" to use them from illegal Serb rebel authorities.
VUKOVAR, Feb 24 (Hina) - Many citizens of Vukovar, mainly Serbs,
have been coming to the Vukovar Town Hall with requests to exercise
their right to buy flats.
The head of Vukovar's office for the management of the town's
property, Branka Zuvic, said she was surprised at a storm of about
500 applications so far submitted to the office.
She could not know who and why had spread such rumours among Vukovar
citizens about alleged possibilities of buying flats in the
Croatian Danube river area.
There is no such possibility for the time being, Zuvic said.
The time has not come for the purchase of flats in war-affected
eastern Croatia, since a great part of 6,000 Vukovar flats have not
yet been reconstructed. A price for square metre is not known as
well.
Some flats are being occupied by persons who were granted the
"right" to use them from illegal Serb rebel authorities.
Furthermore, some people have moved illegally into a number of
flats, Zuvic explained.
Until the Government has not decided who are the owners of flats in
the Danube area - either the town, the State or some ministry - it is
impossible to begin the purchase of flats in this part of Croatia,
she added.
Judging from a great number of requests for the purchase, mostly
forwarded by Serb residents, many seem not to believe that it is
still impossible.
Everybody is waiting patiently to submit "documents" collected and
prepared according their own estimation. But, these papers are
likely to end up on shelves of Vukovar's office for management of
the town's property pending legal interpretation how and when the
purchase of flats will be possible in the Danube river area, Zuvic
said.
She added that the Government is obliged to make an exact list of all
state-owned flats in eastern Croatia by 28 February this year.
She believed that this date had probably been incorrectly
interpreted by those who were submitting requests and that they
thought it could be some kind of a deadline for submitting
applications to buy apartments.
The privatisation of flats has already been completed in Croatia's
parts which were not occupied by Serb insurgents.
(hina) jn ms