PRESIDENTIAL CHIEF OF STAFF URGES MORE AID FOR BANOVINA REGION

( Editorial: --> 9078 ) SISAK, April 23 (Hina) - The Croatian President's chief of staff Hrvoje Sarinic on Thursday visited the towns of Petrinja, Hrvatska Kostajnica and Glina, as well as the municipalities of Kukuruzari, Dvor and Topusko in the Sisak-Moslavina county. There he discussed normalisation of the situation and living conditions in those badly war affected areas of Banovina, the repair of damaged homes and infrastructure, the status of Croat settlers that were expelled from the Bosanska Posavina and Banja Luka regions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and economic revival. In his talks in Petrinja, Sarinic stressed that thanks to its contribution to the Homeland war, its devastation and present needs, Croatia's Banovina region should receive more aid and assistance from the Government than areas that had not been affected by the war. During a visit to the plants of meat processor Gavrilovic in Petrinja, Sarinic said one of the key problems in the town was the ownership status of that company which was, with its 5,000 employees, the hub of Banovina's economy. Speaking about economic revival in the Sisak-Moslavina county, Sarinic emphasised that the Government made major investments into the Sisak steel mills. On the next leg of his visit to Banovina, Sarinic discussed in the village of Umetici, in the municipality of Donji Kukuruzari, the status of Bosnian Croat settlers with associations of Croat refugees from Bosanska Posavina and Banja Luka. Representatives of Bosnian Croat refugees asked for government guarantees that they would remain in the area and in Croatia, because they neither wanted nor could return to the Bosnian Serb entity, whose authorities expelled them from their homes. "Nobody can force you to return to unsafe places where conditions are not ripe for normal living," Sarinic said. "You are not second-class citizens and cannot be treated as such. You are equal to all other Croatian citizens and are entitled to stay where you are." He added that the Government would step up buying homes which are temporarily occupied by Bosnian Croats. Speaking about the return of Serbs to those areas, Sarinic stressed Croatia would allow returns for humanitarian reasons, such as family reunions of people who did not have blood on their hands and recognised Croatia as their homeland as well as Croatian authorities and the state. (Hina) mr /mb 232152 MET apr 98