HOUSE OF COUNTIES CONSIDER LAW ON HOMELAND WAR SOLDIERS

( Editorial: --> 2579 ) ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - In an effort to speed up the employment of demobilised Homeland War soldiers it is necessary to issue loans enabling self-employment and as such ensure resources out of the state budget. The government needs to investigate the possibility of employing Homeland War soldiers in public companies and the agricultural sectors. These were the highlights of today's discussions on the Law on the Rights of Homeland War Soldiers and Members of Their Families held in the Croatian Parliament's House of Counties. The Upper House unanimously adopted a Report on the Implementation of that law and with that concluded its sitting for this week. The 19th session of the House of Counties will continue next week. During the discussions most MP's considered the high unemployment rate of Homeland War Soldiers to be most worrying. Veterans' Affairs Minister Juraj Njavro stated that there were 47,714 unemployed soldiers on 30 June 1997. A year later, this number had decreased to 35,274 while at the end of last month this figure was 34,114. Member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Josip Kukuljan said that this was fine but that this decrease was not explained. It is not clear whether soldiers actually found employment or perhaps were retired or have left to go abroad. Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) members considered that it was worthwhile to offer soldiers the opportunity for self-employment and that funds should be arranaged for further loans. The number of soldiers employed by public companies is negligible and suggestions were made that the Government should determine an obligatory number of soldiers which public companies should employ. Other suggestions included that child endowment should be paid to soldiers who had no other form of income. (Hina) sp 232001 MET sep 98