INT COMMUNITY SATISFIED WITH CROATIA'S EFFORTS REGARDING KOSOVO CRISIS

ZAGREB, April 28 (Hina) - The international community is extremely satisfied with everything the Croatian government has been doing to help in alleviating the consequences of the Kosovo crisis, and it welcomes the establishment of a special working group to coordinate the efforts of the government and the international community as regards the Kosovo crisis, international officials told a news conference in Zagreb on Wednesday. ".. as a representative of UNHCR in Croatia, we are very happy because the Prime Minister (Zlatko Matesa) has formed a special group, a high-level group, to be able to work in a coordinated way with members of the Government and with the international community on efforts towards Kosovo", the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' Mission to Croatia, Rob Robinson, told reporters following a meeting of the Government working group to monitor the Kosovo crisis and international representatives. The recently formed group includes representatives from the ministries of interior and foreign affairs, the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees and the Office for Cooperation with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The international community is represented by UNHCR. The purpose of the group is to coordinate activities arising from the Kosovo humanitarian crisis. Other international representatives were also invited to today's meeting so that they could become acquainted with the measures taken so far by the Croatian Government as regards the Kosovo crisis. "... people and the Government of Croatia should be extremely proud to be able to offer a humanitarian gesture for those people that are particularly vulnerable in the region right now as the result of Kosovo", Robinson said. Members of the working group informed international representatives of the Government's intention to accept 5,000 Kosovo refugees, its support in principle for the unification of families and, in that regard, the reception of Kosovo Albanians whose families are already in Croatia. They also informed them about Croatia's obligation to regulate as soon as possible the status of Kosovo Albanians who have already arrived in Croatia. "... Croatia itself has many problems and many burdens, and even so, the Croatian people and government have extended a hand of help", Robinson said expressing gratitude on behalf of UNHCR. US Ambassador William Montgomery, who spoke on behalf of the Article 11 Commission, expressed satisfaction with the fact that the Croatian government has accepted its share of responsibility, despite the many economic problems and its own refugee problems. Speaking on behalf of the European Union, German Ambassador Volker Haak said the EU appreciated that Croatia had accepted its part in international efforts aimed at alleviating the consequences of the Kosovo crisis, thereby proving that it is a member of such an international community. The Croatian government and society were governed in this case by the principle of humanity and participated from the beginning in the assistance, said Tomislav Vidosevic, head of the Government Office for Cooperation with the OSCE. "Croatia is participating in an overall international evacuation programme which envisages joint efforts, approach and joint assistance", he added. The Government working group holds meetings at least twice a week. Today's session was the eleventh meeting. According to Vidosevic, similar meetings with international representatives will be held following major events in Kosovo or upon initiative by the Croatian Government (hina) rml ..