ZAGREB, Apr 9 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa on Friday told reporters in Zagreb Croatia can receive only a certain number of additional refugees from Kosovo, in keeping with its limited possibilities. Matesa spoke to
reporters after talks with the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Mission to Croatia, Robert Robinson. Currently there are some 5,000 Kosovo Albanians in Croatia who arrived before the current crisis. They are now under Croatian protection even though the validity of their documents has expired, Matesa said. As a "responsible factor of the international community, Croatia is deeply aware of its international obligations to neighbouring countries and to others," the Premier said, but also pointed to the limited possibilities of Croatia, which still provides care for its own 100,000 displaced persons and refugees. Matesa said Croatia supp
ZAGREB, Apr 9 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa on Friday told
reporters in Zagreb Croatia can receive only a certain number of
additional refugees from Kosovo, in keeping with its limited
possibilities.
Matesa spoke to reporters after talks with the head of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Mission to Croatia,
Robert Robinson.
Currently there are some 5,000 Kosovo Albanians in Croatia who
arrived before the current crisis. They are now under Croatian
protection even though the validity of their documents has expired,
Matesa said.
As a "responsible factor of the international community, Croatia is
deeply aware of its international obligations to neighbouring
countries and to others," the Premier said, but also pointed to the
limited possibilities of Croatia, which still provides care for its
own 100,000 displaced persons and refugees.
Matesa said Croatia supports the view of UN High Commissioner for
Refugees Sadako Ogata that it is necessary to avoid the
displacement of Kosovo Albanians outside the region.
"Any other solution would in the end represent an obstacle to their
return," he warned.
The Croatian government has to date granted US$2.4 million of aid in
food, while on Thursday Kosovo Albanian refugees have been supplied
with US$400,000 of Croatian medical equipment.
UNHCR's Robinson expressed gratitude for the Croatian people's
beautiful gesture in collecting food and clothes which was
delivered to Kosovo Albanians on Friday via a plane from Zagreb to
Albanian capital Tirana. The operation was done in cooperation with
the Catholic Church in Croatia and the Croatian Caritas.
(hina) ha lml