UN SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF RETURN PROGRAMME

( Editorial: --> 5288 ) WASHINGTON, July 2 (Hina) - In a Presidential Statement issued on Thursday, the U.N. Security Council called for immediate and complete implementation of the Croatian Government's Programme for the Return and Accommodation of Displaced People, Refugees and Exiled People and its reconciliation programme. The Council also called for measures which would lead to decreasing the number of ethnically motivated incidents. The Security Council welcomed the measures taken by the Croatian Government in improving the current situation but also expressed concern over the increased number of ethnically-motivated incidents in the Croatian Danube River region and the intensified emigration of Serbs from Croatia. In his report on the security situation in the Danube region, submitted to the Security Council in June, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan reported an increased number of ethnically motivated incidents. The overall security situation in the region is relatively stable, the statement says, noting that the generally satisfactory behaviour of the Croatian police in the region is to a great part the result of the presence of the U.N. monitoring team and special attention the Croatian Interior Ministry has been paying to this issue. However, the Security Council is concerned because ethnically motivated incidents, evictions and harassment concerning housing problems have not stopped but increased lately, despite the strong presence of the Croatian police. The Security Council expresses its deep concern because a great number of Serb residents and displaced people have emigrated from Croatia since the end of 1996, mainly because of the still existing incidents concerning security, ethnically-motivated harassment, difficult economic situation, administrative obstacles, discriminatory laws and the stalled return programme, the statement said. The continuation of this trend could have a serious and negative effect on the restoration of multiethnic society in Croatia, the statement said. The Council therefore welcomes the adoption of the national return programme and calls for its urgent and full implementation on all levels, including the annulment of the discriminatory property law and establishment of effective mechanisms enabling owners to reclaim their property. The Council stresses the importance of immediate and full implementation of the reconciliation programme at all levels throughout Croatia and the prevention of harassment and illegal evictions. The statement reminds the Croatian Government of its permanent commitments from the Basic Agreement and other agreements and international conventions. It is noted with satisfaction that the Croatian Government has fulfilled most of its obligations concerning the provision of public services and employment in the public sector, which is envisaged by the Basic Agreement. However, many obligations are still to be fulfilled as regards the implementation of the Law Adjustment Act and Amnesty Law, as well as the functioning of local municipalities and permanent financing of the Joint Council of (Serb-majority) Municipalities. In this context, the Council stresses the importance of the commission Article 11 as a key instrument in encouraging the Croatian Government in fulfilling its obligations in full and in stressing the commitment of the international community to successfully complete the peaceful reintegration. The Council calls on the Croatian police to improve the police response to incidents with ethnic background, evictions and harassment and take other measures for strengthening public trust, including public information and preventive police actions. In the end, the Council welcomes plans of the UN Secretary General as regards the adoption of a schedule for the transfer of U.N. offices in the Danube region to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which would complete the mandate of the U.N. Police Support Group on October 15, 1998. (hina) rml 022135 MET jul 98