WASHINGTON ON REFUGEE RETURN & KOSOVO CRISIS WASHINGTON, May 21 (Hina) - Croatian Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic on Friday addressed the National Press Club in Washington, speaking about how Croatia is tackling the
refugee return problem. Based on its own experience, Croatia can say that the return of refugees, displaced and exiled persons becomes more difficult the longer the exile lasts, Radic said. He explained the implementation of a government programme for the return of refugees and the difficulties faced. He added 58,340 return requests out of some 73,000 submitted mainly by Serbs had been cleared in less than 18 months. Some 600,000 persons have returned to their pre-war homes in Croatia, Radic said, adding US$ two billion have been earmarked from the state budget to that end. Lack of money was one reason for slowness in returns, the minister said, adding another was that the returns were one-sided. Ra
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Hina) - Croatian Reconstruction and
Development Minister Jure Radic on Friday addressed the National
Press Club in Washington, speaking about how Croatia is tackling
the refugee return problem.
Based on its own experience, Croatia can say that the return of
refugees, displaced and exiled persons becomes more difficult the
longer the exile lasts, Radic said.
He explained the implementation of a government programme for the
return of refugees and the difficulties faced. He added 58,340
return requests out of some 73,000 submitted mainly by Serbs had
been cleared in less than 18 months.
Some 600,000 persons have returned to their pre-war homes in
Croatia, Radic said, adding US$ two billion have been earmarked
from the state budget to that end.
Lack of money was one reason for slowness in returns, the minister
said, adding another was that the returns were one-sided.
Radic also reminded that Croatia has accepted some 3,000 refugees
from Kosovo, despite the huge number of its own refugees it is still
providing care for, and that an additional 2,000 Kosovars will be
accepted.
He also said Croatia was offering the use of its southern port of
Ploce to the international community for the delivery of
humanitarian relief for Kosovo refugees.
Asked about the Kosovo crisis, Radic said the worst solution would
be to stop midway. "NATO's action is giving results and must defeat
the Milosevic regime," he said, adding he believed this could be
achieved without the use of land forces.
(hina) ha