CRO RECONSTRUCTION MINISTER ON TOUR OF VUKOVAR COUNTY

VUKOVAR, April 13 (Hina) - Croatian Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic will visit 54 villages in the Vukovar-Srijem County which are being reconstructed, to see for himself the course and pace of the reconstruction process. "This year we want to create conditions for the return of the largest number of returnees to their homes. We have estimated that by completing reconstruction works on 6,000 to 7,000 houses, we would manage to achieve that goal", Radic said after his meeting with Prefect Rudolf Koenig today. Another 11,000 houses in the county are yet to be reconstructed. Radic announced that his ministry would suggest to the Government to accept a proposal by Vukovar county authorities and the Croatian Association of Returnees that support for the reconstruction of less damaged houses be stepped up. Priority should be given to those houses whose reconstruction started last year, and they should be completed by the end of May. According to Radic, the reconstruction of another 800 houses would start then in line with the Law on Reconstruction, to be followed by the reconstruction of another 1,200 homes. The Ministry of Reconstruction and Development has settled all last year's debts with its contractors, Radic said. He announced that the construction of a building with flats for Homeland War victims in Vukovar would start tomorrow. (hina) rml