CONFERENCE HELD ON PROGRAMME OF RETURN AND RECONSTRUCTION

( Editorial: --> 4422 ) BASKE OSTARIJE, Aug 18 (Hina) - A second conference on the Croatian Government's programme for the return of refugees and reconstruction was held on Tuesday at the Velebno hotel in Baske Ostarije. The gathering was addressed by government representatives and officials from the Office for Refugees and Displaced Persons and the Agency for Real-Estate Transactions, who spoke about the implementation of the Croatian Government's return programme. So far about 20,000 Croat displaced people have returned to the Danube River region, Office head Lovro Pejkovic stressed. He noted that another 19,000 displaced, whose houses are being repaired, will return to their respective homes by the end of the year. The return of Serbs has not come to a halt, in spite of opposite claims by some international factors, Pejkovic said. He illustrated this with the recent return of 21,000 Serbs from the Danube region to other Croatian areas. Out of that number, about 13,000 returned upon their own initiative after obtaining Croatian documents, while 1,970 returned in an organised manner with assistance from the Government and UNHCR. Pejkovic also added that about 8,000 Serbs had returned from the Danube region, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia but not on the basis of the return plan. About 9,000 had obtained returnee status. The speakers also said that after the last conference, held in June in Topusko, another 1,012 Serbs had returned to Croatia. Deputy Reconstruction and Development Minister Stjepan Sterc said that bodies of local administration and self-government had been informed about the modes of the return and received instructions on the work of housing commissions which will be concerned with implementation of the programme on the ground. Speaking about the past accomplishments of the return programme, prime ministerial advisor and head of the Office for Cooperation with the OSCE, Tomislav Vidosevic, said that the Government was open and frank in the implementation of its international commitments. The conference stressed that the return process was hindered by the well-known problems in reconstruction of the houses and infrastructure, as well as the mines threat. The speakers called for concrete financial aid by the international community. The conference was attended by representatives of 11 counties, 10 embassies in Croatia, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the UNHCR. (Hina) mro /mbr 182043 MET aug 98