RETURN IS DIFFICULT FOR BOTH CROATS AND SERBS - HHO

( Editorial: --> 6522 ) ZAGREB, 22 Jan (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (HHO) warned on Thursday that citizens of Serb nationality were continuing to face difficulties in returning to their homes in territories liberated by the Croatian armed forces in 1995. On the other hand, Croatian homes in the Danube River region were occupied by people who had been encouraged by the former Serb occupying authorities to settle into the area, which was creating an "unacceptable thwarting" of the return of displaced Croats, the HHO said in its report on the status of human rights in Croatia released today. Such a situation in the Croatian Danubian region encouraged citizens to try to "privately secure their individual rights", and as a result during the past few days groups of Croats were arriving in several villages, threatening and trying to evict Serbs who had settled into their homes, the Committee said. As regards the return of Serbs to areas liberated more than two years ago in the Croatian military operations "Flash" and "Storm", the HHO said the situation was mainly unchanged. Serbs were unable to return to those areas because they had been settled by Croats from Bosnia-Herzegovina or their homes had been occupied by Croatian citizens who were involved in looting campaigns which had been "tolerated but also encouraged by the Croatian authorities", the HHO said in the report signed by Ivo Banac. The Committee was especially concerned about the situation in the Banija region of central Croatia which borders with Bosnia- Herzegovina. The HHO report describes the case of 21 families who were subjected to continual attacks by "unknown" persons. The Committee maintains there is reason to believe that Croatian police officers were involved in some cases of looting. (Hina) jn mb 222223 MET jan 98