ZAGREB, Feb 24 (Hina) - Representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Croatia warned on Wednesday about an increase in inter-ethnic tension in three towns in the Croatian Danubian region.
OSCE spokesman Mark Thompson told a news conference in Zagreb OSCE observers had reported an increase in intimidations (of mostly Serb residents) in Beli Manastir for the second week running. The residents of Mirkovci are fearful following the rape of an elderly woman, and there is an increase of verbal conflicts in caf?s in Borovo. These are not new incidents, but tension has increased in the past two weeks due to the intensifying of well-known problems in these two locations, Thompson said. Although the "overall number of serious incidents (in the Danubian area) has decreased and the performance of the local police continues to be satisfactory," half of the total number of in
ZAGREB, Feb 24 (Hina) - Representatives of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Croatia warned
on Wednesday about an increase in inter-ethnic tension in three
towns in the Croatian Danubian region.
OSCE spokesman Mark Thompson told a news conference in Zagreb OSCE
observers had reported an increase in intimidations (of mostly Serb
residents) in Beli Manastir for the second week running.
The residents of Mirkovci are fearful following the rape of an
elderly woman, and there is an increase of verbal conflicts in caf?s
in Borovo.
These are not new incidents, but tension has increased in the past
two weeks due to the intensifying of well-known problems in these
two locations, Thompson said.
Although the "overall number of serious incidents (in the Danubian
area) has decreased and the performance of the local police
continues to be satisfactory," half of the total number of
intimidation incidents have happened in Beli Manastir for the
second week running.
We, therefore, cannot agree with Croatian state and local officials
who said the situation was satisfactory, particularly in the
Osijek-Baranja County, Thompson said.
"At the same time, some Serb community leaders have exaggerated and
over-dramatised the situation, and that also is not helpful,"
Thompson said.
""This is a time when all authorities should be making a special
effort to ensure that they contribute to calming emotions in the
region, to encourage rationality and to encourage an atmosphere of
security," Thompson stressed.
Speaking about the continuing Croatian Government's Programme for
Reconstruction, Thompson recalled state authorities had committed
themselves to carry out a media campaign about the programme, but
was not doing so, with the partial exception of the Danube River
region.
Information about the Programme which, as Thompson said, "not only
the public needs, but also local authorities across the country,
which, in our experience, have quite various understandings of the
programme," thus remains unavailable.
Some information is extremely important, such as the deadline for
applying for reconstruction of homes, which expires March 14.
"There is very time left until the expiry of the deadline in the
Programme for applications and we, for our part, are expressing to
the Government our concern over that and raising the question over
extending that deadline," Thompson stressed.
He added the OSCE Mission had expressed these concerns in a letter
to the Croatian Government dated February 18.
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