INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DEMANDS UNCONDITIONAL RETURN OF SERBS TO

( Editorial: --> 6788 ) ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - The international community has requested of Croatia to allow an unconditional return of Serb refugees to their homes as a condition for closer relations with the European Union and its accession into the Partnership for Peace programme, international community representatives said in Zagreb on Tuesday. Representatives of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), EU and the United States, on Tuesday issued a joint statement, directly connecting Croatia's cooperation in the realisation of the all-way return of refugees with its approach to Euro-Altantic integrations. US Ambassador to Croatia, William Montgomery, Ambassador of Great Britain, Colin Munro, UNHCR mission chief, Robert Robinson, and OSCE deputy mission chief in Croatia, Victor Tomseth, told reporters it was very important that the Croatian National Parliament adopts an amended document on the process of return of refugees. The Parliament will discuss the document at its session on Wednesday. Montgomery said he was concerned about the discussion because Croatia would then decide whether it would move closer to of away from Euro-Atlantic integrations. Montgomery confirmed that the Croatian government had in the amended document accepted comments by the international community, including principles that the OSCE had requested in the drafting of the document. Speaking about the Parliament discussion, Munro said it was important that the "government will set out Croatia international obligations for the Members of Parliament, not only the Dayton and Erdut agreements, but also those growing from the European Human Rights Convention ratified by Croatia last year". "One of the most important principles is that a refugee has an inalienable right to return to his country of origin, not a right which can be qualified in any way, for example by the availability of property," Munroe said. He added that the attitude of the international community toward the donors' conference on the reconstruction of Croatia in May, would be conditioned by the result of the Parliament discussion and the "emergence or non-emergence of a credible and effective refugee return plan and, indeed, by Croatia's role in the regional Return Conference which will be held in Banja Luka on 20 April," Munro said. (hina) lm mm 142147 MET apr 98