NON-GOVT HUMANITARIAN WORKERS MEET HEADS OF REFUGEE OFFICES

( Editorial: --> 3081 ) VINKOVCI, Sept 25 (Hina) - Representatives of non-government humanitarian organisations from Osijek and Vinkovci held talks with the heads of regional offices for displaced people and refugees on Friday. The meeting in Vinkovci focused on help for displaced people, refugees and returnees in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem Counties. There are 25 non-government humanitarian organisations in the two eastern Croatian counties. Today's meeting was aimed at helping representatives from the regional offices for displaced people and refugees to get better acquainted with the forms of humanitarian work offered by non- government organisations. The regional offices in Osijek and Vinkovci have had no contact whatsoever with some of these organisations, said Ante Drmic, head of the Vinkovci office for displaced people and refugees. It was agreed that a new meeting should be held in Osijek on November 23. At the next meeting, every humanitarian organisation should submit its programme, as well as the forms and duration of its activities, so that their work could be coordinated, said Nada Arbanas, head of the Osijek regional office for refugees. The main purpose of these efforts is for humanitarian aid to reach all those who need it, Arbanas added. The UNHCR Office head for eastern Slavonia, Hoosein Kharadmand, expressed satisfaction with the cooperation shown by the Government Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees. Close cooperation with the Government Office will certainly contribute to finding permanent solutions for all problems of displaced people, refugees and returnees, Kharadmand said. According to Kharadmand, 1,800 people have returned from the Danube area to other parts of Croatia since April last year. Since July 23 this year, about 1,400 people have returned from Yugoslavia to Croatia in line with the Government Programme of Return. (hina) rml/mbr 251550 MET sep 98