WE'LL ELIMINATE CHIEF CAUSE OF PRESSURES BY END OF JUNE - GRANIC

( Editorial: --> 8066 ) ZAGREB, June 1 (Hina) - The Croatian Government will draft a programme for the return and care of displaced persons and refugees and deliver it to parliament by June 20, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters in Zagreb Monday. The Government thus expects to eliminate the chief cause of international pressure on Croatia by the end of this month, he said. Four-hundred-and-five persons interested in returning to Croatia have contacted Croatian embassies in the last two weeks since binding instructions for obtaining Croatian documents have been in effect, Granic said. With the said binding instructions, the Croatian Government significantly simplified the procedure for obtaining Croatian documents for persons who left the country. Granic told reporters that 107 persons had requested establishment of Croatian citizenship at the Croatian Embassy in Belgrade, while nine persons requested a travel certificate, and 284 were waiting their turn. In Bonn five persons requested granting of citizenship, but in a dozen other European cities no one has yet registered to return to Croatia, Granic told the regular press conference in the government building. No requests have been submitted in Sarajevo either, while in Banja Luka (Bosnian Serb entity) requests will be accepted starting this week, as part of consular days. According to this data we can conclude that a mass return of Serbs will not occur, the Foreign Minister said. He recalled that the international community had welcomed the aforementioned binding instructions, which were adequately advertised in neighbouring and many other European countries. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is participating in the drafting of the programme for the return and care of displaced persons and refugees, as it possesses data on 13,000 persons who want to return to Croatia from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. All these people will have to comply with procedures stated in the binding instructions, Granic said. He asserted the international community expected from Croatia stability in the Danube river region in the east, the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement, and compliance with democratic standards, especially in journalism and, as part of that, in running Croatian Television. The situation in eastern Croatia is becoming more stable which is in Croatia's interest, Granic said, adding he expected the mandate of the UN Police Support Group in the area to end in September, as planned. In regard to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Foreign Minister said Croatia had signed an agreement on the two-way return with BH, and a protocol on the two-way return with the Croat-Muslim Federation of BH. Croatia also revoked visas for residents of the Bosnian Serb entity with new Bosnian passports. Granic said Bosnian Serb Premier Milorad Dodik should visit Zagreb tomorrow, when a two-way return protocol with that entity was expected to be completed, alongside talks on economic cooperation. A new date for the continuation of talks on special relations and other issues related to relations with BH will soon be made known, the Foreign Minister said. Croatian and Yugoslav representatives would this week discuss war damages among other issues, Granic said in answer to reporters. The Foreign Minister assessed the latest Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe report on Croatia as "too critical". He expected that future dialogue between the Croatian Government and OSCE would contribute to more balanced reports. Asked to assess Croatia's current relations with Slovenia, Granic said there was no tension between the two neighbouring countries, as both have the same strategic goals. Granic was however dissatisfied with the slowness in eliminating existing problems. Croatia will try to step up negotiations on Ljubljanska Bank's debt to Croatian savers, the state border, and unresolved legal matters in relation to the joint nuclear plant Krsko, the Foreign Minister said. (hina) ha/bag jn 011611 MET jun 98