INTERNATIONAL REPS EXPRESS SATISFACTION WITH RETURN PLAN PROGRESS

( Editorial: --> 9233 ) ZAGREB, July 22 (Hina) - The United States is very impressed with the implementation of the Croatian Government's refugee return plan, American Ambassador in Zagreb William Montgomery said on Wednesday. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will give full support and expressed great appreciation for the brave steps the Croatian Government has taken regarding the return plan over the last few weeks, Montgomery said in his press release following the informative meeting on implementation of the return plan, organised by the Croatian Government for international community representatives. We are very much impressed because these steps are exactly the ones that should be taken and we are really satisfied with what has been done, Montgomery said. Stressing that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has been closely co-operating with the Croatian Government for years, UNHCR mission chief in Croatia Robert Robinson also expressed great satisfaction with what the Government has done regarding the return plan. It seems that a new era of co-operation has dawned and we are very pleased with the degree of progress achieved, Robinson said. The UNHCR is aware that the return of the refugees and successful reintegration is a lasting process during which a number of problems could arise, Robinson said. However, if we manage to maintain an air of co-operation and goodwill between our office and the international community and the Croatian Government, there will be nothing that would impede resolving these problems, he said. The European Union is closely monitoring the implementation of the return plan, Andreas Stadler, an advisor to the embassy of Austria (presiding country of the European Union), said on behalf of the EU. The Croatian Government has shown a clear determination to implement this plan over the last two or three weeks, which we sincerely support, Stadler added, expressing his hope that this high degree of co-operation would be maintained in the future. European Commission special envoy Per Vinther confirmed Stadler's statement and emphasised that he hoped that the housing commissions would be established soon, in order to start a full-scale return in summer and early autumn. "The Croatian Government is determined to fulfil its obligations to the international community, in accordance with the state policy of return and reconstruction. Therefore, the statements of the international community representatives made us very happy," prime ministerial advisor and Office for Co-operation with the OSCE chief Tomislav Vidosevic said. Vidosevic announced that the next press conference would take place on August 18. "The representatives of the housing commissions, which are to be established by the end of July, will participate in the next press conference, and I think that this will make a great progress in our mutual efforts to resolve this very difficult humanitarian issues," Vidosevic said. (Hina) is jn /mbr 221643 MET jul 98