PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE FOR WAR VETERANS HOLDS SESSION

ZAGREB, April 27 (Hina) - About 36,000 unemployed Croatian Homeland War veterans were registered at the end of last month, according to the Employment Bureau, MPs said at a Croatian Parliament War Veterans Committee session on Tuesday. Committee chairman, retired general Janko Bobetko, said a great obstacle to the employment of veterans was bureaucracy at local levels of authority. He said it was necessary to raise the level of responsibility of persons in charge and services for failing to perform legal obligations towards Homeland War veterans. Bobetko noted many county sub-commissions for employment had not informed the veterans about their legal rights. He announced the Croatian Government would next week submit a report to the Croatian National Parliament on the application of the Law on the Rights of Croatian Homeland War Soldiers. Assistant Minister for Croatian Homeland War Soldiers, Pero Kovacevic, warned that all county sub-commissions failed to grasp their task and that some counties have problems with their work. He said about 12,000 soldiers were being employed on a yearly basis. However, he warned, solving this problem in greatly influenced by the unfavourable economic situation. Kovacevic stressed NATO strikes on Yugoslavia had aggravated the situation, as about 8,000 jobs were lost this year, especially in tourism. The committee also discussed housing issues of Homeland War soldiers. Despite granted funds and locations, problems were occurring at the level of local self-governments and governments, which are, by law, obligated to ensure funds for the construction of housing, committee members agreed. (hina) lml