ZAGREB, Sept 1 (Hina) - Peter Palmer, spokesman for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Mission in Croatia, on Wednesday said discrimination against the Serb population was still present in the Danube
River region (eastern Croatia). This assessment refers to the eviction of Serbs from the houses of Croat returnees and the failure to provide alternative accommodation for the Serbs, as well as to the allocation of reconstruction material. The OSCE Mission has also noticed that predominantly Serb villages are being reconstructed at a much slower pace. According to Palmer, the security situation in the Danube region is generally calm, although there are still some areas which cause concern. The Mission expects the Croatian authorities to carry out a full investigation and punish those responsible for the murder of a Serb resident of the village of Berak on August 9. Palmer
ZAGREB, Sept 1 (Hina) - Peter Palmer, spokesman for the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE)
Mission in Croatia, on Wednesday said discrimination against the
Serb population was still present in the Danube River region
(eastern Croatia).
This assessment refers to the eviction of Serbs from the houses of
Croat returnees and the failure to provide alternative
accommodation for the Serbs, as well as to the allocation of
reconstruction material. The OSCE Mission has also noticed that
predominantly Serb villages are being reconstructed at a much
slower pace.
According to Palmer, the security situation in the Danube region is
generally calm, although there are still some areas which cause
concern.
The Mission expects the Croatian authorities to carry out a full
investigation and punish those responsible for the murder of a Serb
resident of the village of Berak on August 9. Palmer said a surge of
violence directed against the Serb minority in Berak had been
present for months, which resulted in the emigration of most Serb
families.
Berak Croats have been staging protests for months now demanding
from the local Serbs who had been in the village during the Serbian
aggression to tell them what they know about the missing Croat
residents.
Palmer said it was clear one should respect the wish of those who had
recently lost their dearest ones to find the truth about their fate
and that those responsible for war crimes should be brought to
justice, however, this had to be done exclusively with legal
means.
He also said the region was a fully integrated part of Croatia and it
was shameful that in some of its parts Croatian Serb civilians could
not feel safe in their homes.
The OSCE spokesman said the situation in the area of Knin (southern
Croatia) was also generally calm and that ethnically motivated
incidents were in principle of a less serious character as well as
that local police were professionally carrying out their tasks.
A moderate increase in the return of Serb refugees to the Kin area is
a success, Palmer said, adding he regretted that part of the press
treated this as a threat.
Palmer said the Mission's head Bernard Poncet would on Thursday
inform the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna of the positive
dialogue he established with the Croatian authorities after he had
taken over his office as head of the OSCE Mission.
(hina) jn rml