UNHCR SPOKESWOMAN ADDRESSES RETURN PROGRAMME

SARAJEVO, June 24 (Hina) - The return process of Serbs from Bosnia- Herzegovina to Croatia is slow, and out of 1,900 Serbs registered since November of 1998, only 133 managed to return, the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman in BH, Wendy Rappeport, said in Sarajevo on Thursday. According to her, the return programme is implemented by the UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the Croatian Government's Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees. The programme is being successfully implemented in cases of Croatian Serbs who took refuge in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. About 15,000 of them have returned, the UNHCR spokeswoman said. According to UNHCR data, another 30,000 Croatian Serbs are still in Bosnia. Rappeport said that Croatian Serbs were often being manipulated by authorities of the Republika Srpska. According to her, Serbs from Croatia were told they would not be safe if they return to their homes in Croatia. The majority of Serb refugees from Croatia, who arrived to Bosnia- Herzegovina after the Croatian military and police operation "Storm", will, in the year 2000, be able to apply for Bosnia- Herzegovina citizenship which will enable them to vote in that country. (hina) it