WARTIME FLAT ALLOCATION LAW IN BOSNIAN FEDERATION QUASHED

( Editorial: --> 9080 ) SARAJEVO, March 12 (Hina) - The House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (FBH) on Thursday passed new legislation terminating the application of the law on abandoned flats. As a result the FBH Parliament quashed all wartime decisions on allocating flats of refugees to others. The new law automatically allows people holding pre-war tenancy rights to return to their homes. Parliament's decision today opens the door to the return of a large number of refugees who during the war abandoned flats in social ownership in which they had tenancy rights. During their absence these rights had been taken away from them, the flats declared abandoned and allocated to others. During previous debates in the lower house, the automatic quashing of war-time decisions was opposed by the Muslim-led Party of Democratic Action. But after a warning by international High Representative Carlos Westendorp that any other solution would be a direct violation of human rights, which would bring a halt to international financial support to the FBH, the law was nevertheless passed as the government had proposed. All pre-war holders of tenancy rights from FBH territory will have a limit of six months in which to register their return with municipal authorities, who have a term of 30 days in which to pass a decision in accordance with today's new law. People who are temporarily housed in other people's flats will be found suitable accommodation. This is to be guaranteed by authorities in cantons in which they previously had their registered address. People who return to their pre-war flats will be able to buy them six months after they move in, but will be unable to sell them within a period of five years. This measure was included in the law to prevent "fictitious" returnees. There were suspicions that some refugees would seek returning to their pre-war flats without having an intention to live in them, but to sell them instead. (Hina) jn mb /jn 121704 MET mar 98