OSCE EXPECTS CLEAR & PRECISE MEASURES FOR REFUGEE RETURN

( Editorial: --> 2003 ) ZAGREB, May 6 (Hina) - The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) expects the Croatian Government to cooperate and adopt as soon as possible clear and precise measures for speeding up the return of refugees, OSCE spokesman Mark Thompson said in Zagreb on Wednesday. We are still waiting for the Croatian Government to adopt clear and precise measures so that the process of return can be facilitated, Thompson told reporters. In order to achieve this, one should work in several areas, starting from the annulment of two laws on property management, Thompson said. He added that Croatia should also do more in providing alternative accommodation for returnees as well as offer support to Bosnian Croat refugees who want to return to their homes. The Croatian Government should also clarify the status of refugees who have returned in an unorganised manner and who have been waiting for their status to be resolved for months, Thompson added. The number of unorganised returns in all parts of Croatia has increased, Thompson said adding he expected a further increase of that number by the end of this school year. People who are returning in an unorganised manner often encounter a range of problems because local authorities are not helping them in the process of reintegration, the OSCE spokesman said. He added that local authorities often did not have the right instructions on how to behave towards refugees who have returned in such a manner. Due to the increasing number of spontaneous returns, local authorities are having problems in providing accommodation and security for returnees. The OSCE regrets the fact that local Serb representatives did not attend last week's commemorations at the Vukovar New Cemetery. Thompson said the OSCE shared the reasonable view of the president of the National Trust Establishment Committee, Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, who said that Vukovar victims should have been paid tribute to. UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said that 142 Serb asylum seekers arrived in Norway last week, which, added to their number in December last year, now amounted to 2,163. (hina) rm /mb 061838 MET may 98