WESTENDORP'S OFFICE EXPECTS AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON FLATS

( Editorial: --> 2555 ) SARAJEVO, Feb 17 (Hina) - Certain progress has been noticed in changes to the ownership law, Simon Haselock, spokesman for the office of the international High Representative for Bosnia- Herzegovina, told reporters in Sarajevo Tuesday. The ownership law should facilitate the return of refugees to the Croat-Muslim Federation of BH. We hope that the amendments we demanded will be incorporated in the ownership law and that parliament will ratify them, Haselock said, hoping no additional problems would arise in the matter. The chairman of the Bosnian federal parliament's House of Representatives, Enver Kreso, announced a lower house session could be expected for 3 March when the bill on the takeover of the law on tenancy relations should be discussed. If the law is passed, pre-war tenancy rights holders could return to their flats, which during the war they left for different reasons and which are now occupied by other people. In line with conclusions from a conference on the return of refugees held in Sarajevo earlier this month, the federal government was supposed to forward to parliament bills on tenancy relations so that these might be passed by early March. We are not satisfied with what has been done so far, Haselock said, pointing out this assessment would stay as long as laws agreed on in the Sarajevo declaration were not passed. Commenting on reports in Sarajevan media close to the Party of Democratic Action saying an agreement has been reached to prevent returnees from selling their flats for five years at least, UNHCR spokeswoman Ariane Quentier today said such conditions were unacceptable. The return must not be conditioned, she said. Returnees are coming back to their property, not to make promises that they will not sell their flats for five years, Quentier said. (hina) ha mm 171548 MET feb 98