CRO GOVT ISSUES STATEMENT ON REFUGEE SERB VISIT TO VOJNIC

( Editorial: --> 2830 ) ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - The Croatian Government's Communications Office on Friday said that the Croatian Government has conducted a thorough investigation to determine all relevant factors about the events surrounding the visit by a group of Croatian Serbs, who took refuge in the Bosnian Serb entity, to Vojnic, about 60 km south of Zagreb. In organisation by UNHCR, that group visited Vojnic on 24 March this year. The Office of the international High Representative for the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement at yesterday's press conference in Sarajevo expressed concern over the behaviour of Croatian authorities towards that group of Serb refugees, saying that "that the events in Vojnic presented a violation of the peace agreement". According to a statement from the Government's Communications Office, it has been determined that UNHCR on 20 March 1998 put in a request to the Croatian Government's Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees for a one day visit to Vojnic by 51 people, refugee Serbs currently living in Banja Luka, which was to take place on 24 March 1998. However, the UNHCR did not inform the Vojnic Municipality about the request, whose mayor only found out about the announced visit on 23 March and asked for a postponement so that security conditions for an undisturbed visit could be ensured, the statement said. The head of the Government's Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees on that same day informed the leader of the UNHCR mission in Croatia that without the assent of the Vojnic mayor it would not sign the permit for the refugees to enter Croatia, because it was a way of putting pressure on Croatia and trying to provoke incidents. UNHCR representatives in Zagreb and Banja Luka did not accept the suggestion to postpone the visit and confirmed the date of the visit. On 24 March the local border police informed the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees about the arrival of the group so the head of the Office, in agreement with the Vojnic mayor, signed a border crossing permit. The group arrived in Vojnic at about 5pm, were there for about 40 minutes and, escorted by the UNHCR, left the municipality without incident. The Croatian Government repeatedly stresses that refugee visits are not thwarted but it is necessary to respect the procedures for organising visits so that all security conditions can be created for an undisturbed visit to the Republic of Croatia, the statement said. In that regard good cooperation between the UNHCR and Croatian authorities is important, so that unnecessary misunderstandings can be avoided and so that unfounded political damage is not incited, the statement said. (hina) jn mrb/ha 271657 MET mar 98