MINISTER VISITS VUKOVAR, DISCUSSES RECONSTRUCTION OF HOUSES

VUKOVAR, Aug 24 (Hina) - Last year's reconstruction season in Vukovar-Srijem County has been very successful, Croatian Reconstruction Minister Jure Radic told reporters in Vukovar, eastern-most Croatia, on Tuesday. Radic said those who were trying to convince the public of the opposite were in the wrong. The minister reminded that it had been agreed a little over a year ago that 2,000 housing units, including 1,000 in Vukovar, would be reconstructed in Vukovar-Srijem County in the 1998/99 season. "To date, 1,971 units have been technically inspected, while the remaining 19 will be by the end of the month," Radic said. Out of 1,000 houses planned for reconstruction in Vukovar, only 655 have been reconstructed so far, the minister said, pointing out this was in keeping with the number of submitted reconstruction requests. Radic stressed the biggest problem for reconstruction in Vukovar was the small number of reconstruction requests filed by the town's pre-war residents. He called on exiled residents to submit or fill in incomplete reconstruction requests, reminding that the revision of the displaced person status in Croatia was nearing completion and that as a result, many would be denied the status. Before talking to the press, Minister Radic met contractors working on reconstruction in the Danube River Region in eastern Croatia. Contracts were signed with 55 contractors for the reconstruction of 820 houses, expected to begin in September. Contracts for the reconstruction of another 389 houses in Vukovar- Srijem County will be signed subsequently. Thus, 1,209 houses should be reconstructed in this year's reconstruction season, which begins on September 1 and ends on August 31, 2000. This figure includes 742 houses in Vukovar, expected to welcome 2,523 returnees. Radic said that so far, the Croatian government has reconstructed close to 15,000 housing units in Vukovar-Srijem County, with costs reaching some US$222 million, whereas the entire number of reconstructed houses in Croatia was 92,000, to which 90 percent of pre-war residents have returned. Commenting on media reports on the allegedly high number of reconstructed yet empty flats in Vukovar, Minister Radic announced senior officials of the state housing commission will visit the town next month. "We estimate that, after the state housing commission completes its part of the job relative to the revision of reconstructed flats in Vukovar, we will be able to offer some 400 flats to all those wishing to return to this town who are not included in reconstruction programmes," the minister said. (hina) ha