COMMISSION APPROVES 200 REQUESTS FOR RETURN TO BRCKO

( Editorial: --> 2940 ) BRCKO, March 28 (Hina) - The Commission for Return on the territory of the pre-war Brcko municipality has approved 200 new requests for return in areas under international supervision. And activities are underway for the return of 110 Bosniak (Muslim) families in the town's settlement of Rijeke, Office of the High Representative officials in Brcko said on Friday. The north-eastern Bosnia town, in Bosnian Serb entity territory, is under international community supervision, given that its territorial status has still not been resolved. The Dayton agreement left to an international arbitrator the sensitive issue of which territory Brcko would fall into. The issue is contentious because during the war Bosnian Serbs had expelled 80 per cent of Brcko's non-Serb population and the town is strategically important for both of Bosnia's entities. This month the arbitrator for the second time delayed a decision for another year. In March last year an international supervisor was appointed for Brcko, whose task was to establish a multi-ethnic local administration and secure the return of refugees. Deputy Supervisor for Brcko, Ian McLeod, told reporters on Friday the international community had injected 30 million German marks into Brcko. He said the World Bank had approved a million dollars for resolving the water supply system and currently aid was being sought for Brcko's health system. Following this will be children's nurseries which will be financed by an American organisation for refugees and several other projects, McLeod said. International Police Task Force (IPTF) spokeswoman Kathy Ladun said how the IPTF was working on organising a meeting between the multi-ethnic police force and Bosniak returnees in the urban settlement of Rijeke, in the presence of SFOR members, all with the aim of better security for returnees to this area. (Hina) jn mb 281411 MET mar 98