40 APARTMENTS GRANTED TO HOMELAND WAR DEFENDERS AND VICTIMS

( Editorial: --> 3978 ) ZAGREB, Sept 29 (Hina) - Keys to apartments were handed to 11 families of Homeland War victims and 29 members of the Croatian Armed Forces on Tuesday in Stenjevac, near Zagreb. The apartments were granted in keeping with the Croatian government's housing plan for Homeland War victims. Special envoy for the Croatian Defence Ministry, Major General Marijan Marekovic, granted the new owners the keys to apartments which they will be entitled to purchase. The president of the Croatian Defenders' Ministry's Housing Commission, Ilko Tomasevic, advised that by the end of the year a further 700 apartments would be granted to Homeland War victims. Some 900 housing loans have been approved by the Ministry since the beginning of this year, said Tomasevic. Tomasevic believes that the housing situation of Homeland War victims, which was to be resolved during 1997/98, would be taken care of spring 1999. He concluded focusing on the excellent level of cooperation between his Ministry and the Defence Ministry which issued 1,500 housing loans in the same period. (Hina) sp/ha 291331 MET sep 98