ARTICLE 11 COMMISSION VISITS GOVT OFFICE FOR DISPLACED AND REFUGEES

( Editorial: --> 9508 ) ZAGREB, July 23 (Hina) - Ambassadors of the Article 11 Commission visited the Croatian Government's Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees on Thursday, where they expressed optimism regarding the implementation of the government's refugee return programme. They also praised the Office's work. "We informed Article 11 Commission representatives about all the activities of the Government's Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees in the context of the procedure for everyone's return to their homes," Office head Lovre Pejkovic said following the meeting. He added that the methods and organisation of the Office's work and its future activities were also presented to the ambassadors. Through the Article 11 Commission we called on the international community to assist us in this complicated procedure of restoring everyone to their home, Pejkovic said. After this meeting I left the Office with mixed impressions, because we saw hundreds of thousands of files, each one of them representing a personal tragedy, American Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery said after the meeting. He added that he now saw why the Office's work should be valued. I leave this meeting very optimistic and satisfied especially because it is clear that the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cooperate very closely, Montgomery said. He said he was convinced that close cooperation between the Office and the UNHCR would pave the way for much better relations between Croatia and the international community, and this not only when it comes to refugees. European Commission special envoy Per Vinther on behalf of the European Union congratulated the Croatian Government for its positive steps and welcomed close cooperation between the Office and the UNHCR. I believe this is a good sign that the process of return will move in the best direction, Vinther said. He added that the meeting was very useful as far as concrete steps in implementing the return programme were concerned. The international community is often said to be too critical towards Croatia, but the international community can offer needed support and by cooperating we can find a solution, UNHCR mission to Croatia head Robert Robinson said. According to data collected by the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees, which was presented to the Article 11 Commission, following the holding of elections and the signing of the agreement on two-way return in spring 1997, a total of 17,000 people have returned to the Croatian Danube River region. At the same time 21,126 people have returned to other parts of Croatia from the Danube region. (Hina) mbr jn /mro 232133 MET jul 98