CRO AMBASSADOR SUBMITS REPORT ON DANUBIAN AREA TO COE PRESIDENT

( Editorial: --> 7530 ) WASHINGTON, March 6 (Hina) - Croatian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ivan Simonovic, on Thursday submitted a report on the situation in the Croatian Danube River region to the Security Council President, Abdulah Momod Salah. Croatia considers the reintegration of the Danube River region to be proceeding well, despite difficulties, and confirms its commitment to the fulfilment of all undertaken obligations, the report stated. The biggest obstacle to the full recovery of the region and to the return of displaced persons is deemed to be the difficult economic situation in the Danube area. The causes of the exodus of Serbs and the failure of Croats to return to the area are one and the same - difficult economic circumstances. In the report, the Croatian Government estimates that after Serb forces carried out ethnic cleansing and caused devastation and deaths, many local residents connected to them are feeling responsible which is causing them anxiety. This fact is the origin of the lack of trust in the region, which takes time to be restored. The process of healing has also been hindered by the failure to bring war crime indictees before the International Tribunal in The Hague, such as Sljivancanin, Mrksic and Radic, the report said. The prompt punishment of those responsible would lessen negative tendencies to the placement of collective responsibility, the report said. Since its takeover of authority in the Danube region, Croatia has continued reintegration activities in the area, and has begun to adjust a law pertaining to tenant issues and private property, aimed at expediting the two-way return of displaced persons, the letter said. The changes would be announced soon, the document stated, adding that more than 31,000 Serbs had returned to their pre-war homes so far, including 12,000 from the Danube area and 19,000 from FR Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Croatian leadership, including the President and Prime Minister, is active in providing guarantees to Serbs, the document states, citing the Croatian President's words spoken at the fourth convention of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ): "The HDZ must be a guarantor of the policy of reconciliation towards Croatian citizens of Serb nationality". The reintegration process will continue with its ups and downs, but in principle, it is heading in a positive direction, the letter said, underlining the statement with the example of the work of the National Trust Establishment Committee and of Croatian police to date. In the past two years, while the international community had executive authority in the region, about 40,000 people left for other countries, despite the highest protection measures for the local population. Six weeks ago, at the time of handover of authority to Croatia, the international community pointed out two areas of concern - economic revival and the work of the local police. The latter has turned out to be successful, while the former remains the key source of problems in the region, the report stated, adding that Croatia could not resolve the issue on its own. Simonovic recalled that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as other organisations, had assessed the situation in the region as stable, and had also underlined economic problems. The document reaffirms Croatia's commitment towards undertaken obligations regarding the Croatian Danube region, towards the reintegration of Serbs and the protection of their equality under the law as citizens and the protection of their minority rights. Local antagonism, resistance towards reintegration and the lack of resources cannot hinder the positive trend, the letter said. Croatia also remains dedicated to the consistent policy of cooperation with the international community, the report said. (hina) lm mm /mb 061538 MET mar 98