RECONSTRUCTION MINISTER HOLDS TALKS WITH INTERNATIONAL REPS

( Editorial: --> 0638 ) ZAGREB, Sept 15 (Hina) - Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic on Tuesday informed representatives of the international community of the realisation of the Croatian Government's return programme and presented them with the next stage of the reconstruction programme. Radic received the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission to Croatia head Tim Guldimann, the European Commission's special envoy Per Vinther, the American Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery and Austria's Ambassador to Croatia Rudolf Bogner, whose country is currently presiding over the European Union, a statement from the Reconstruction and Development Ministry said. According to the programme, reconstruction still needs to be done to 78,000 homes and associated infrastructure, which were damaged during the Serbian aggression on Croatia. This would resolve the overall problem of displaced people, Radic said. The entire programme will require an investment of about US$2.5 billion. If financed exclusively from the Government's sources, which has been the case so far, the programme will take five years to implement, Radic said. Radic expressed expectations that the international participation at this autumn's conference on the reconstruction and development of Croatia would significantly streamline the reconstruction process. The ambassadors expressed their satisfaction with the advances made in the return process as well as with the framework of the reconstruction plan that was presented, the statement said. The EU countries in June said they would take part in the conference on the reconstruction and development of Croatia, on the condition that progress was made in realising the return programme and an overall reconstruction plan was prepared. (Hina) mbr jn /mro 152047 MET sep 98