ZAGREB, Dec 4 (Hina) - Representatives of the European Union told a +conference for reconstruction and development on Friday that their +help would depend on Croatia's efforts to secure non-+discriminatory conditions for the return of
refugees and displaced +persons, reconstruction, and establishment of trust amongst all +Croatian citizens.+ Help in reconstruction should be available to all Croatian +citizens, regardless to their ethnicity, said representatives of +the EU and European Commission presidencies, Gerhard Jandl and +Herman De Lange.+ International assistance will depend on positive progress in +creating conditions for the return of refugees, reconstruction of +housing, social and economic reintegration of minorities, Gerhard +Jandl said.+ Praising the progress achieved so far in specific areas of return, +and describing the Croatian Government's reconstruction programme +well-bal
ZAGREB, Dec 4 (Hina) - Representatives of the European Union told a
conference for reconstruction and development on Friday that their
help would depend on Croatia's efforts to secure non-
discriminatory conditions for the return of refugees and displaced
persons, reconstruction, and establishment of trust amongst all
Croatian citizens.
Help in reconstruction should be available to all Croatian
citizens, regardless to their ethnicity, said representatives of
the EU and European Commission presidencies, Gerhard Jandl and
Herman De Lange.
International assistance will depend on positive progress in
creating conditions for the return of refugees, reconstruction of
housing, social and economic reintegration of minorities, Gerhard
Jandl said.
Praising the progress achieved so far in specific areas of return,
and describing the Croatian Government's reconstruction programme
well-balanced, Jandl said that the EU was ready to intensify
dialogue with Croatia, with the aim of increasing assistance.
Mandatory instructions on non-discriminatory return, adopted by
the Croatian Government on Thursday, presents "a welcome, although
not fully satisfactory step in the right direction," because these
measures were adopted "only after strong pressure from the
international community and only on the very last day before the
conference", Jandl noted.
He called on the Croatian Government to create an atmosphere of
trust in the country, and emphasised that the return of Serbs from
Bosnia-Herzegovina to Croatia was important also for the return of
other refugees to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Chief Adviser of the European Commission Herman De Lange said that
in the next phase, Croatia must secure legal and administrative
conditions for reconstruction projects.
He called on Croatia to work on fulfilment of conditions for
entering the PHARE Programme, to be able to benefit fully from
PHARE.
The European Commission in addition to 1 million eki for mine
clearing in 1998, has set aside another million for 1999, De Lange
said.
Referring to relations between Croatia and EU, Jandl said that for
further democratisation it was important to fulfil conditions from
two "non-papers" presented to Croatia, regarding to media and
electoral law reforms.
De Lange said that satisfying progress, which would at this point
allow improvement of bilateral relations between Croatia and EU,
was not made.
Until progress on relevant fields was not achieved, relations
between Croatia and EU would remain limited to trade privileges,
and Croatia would not be able to use the PHARE programme, nor start
negotiating on contractual relations, De Lange concluded.
(hina) it jn/sp