CROAT REFUGEES START RETURNING TO MOSTAR SETTLEMENT

MOSTAR, Dec 10 (Hina) - The return of Croat residents of the Mostar settlement of Bijelo Polje, displaced during the 1992 aggression of the former Yugoslav army and the 1993 Croat-Muslim conflicts, began on Thursday. A group of Croats, escorted by Mostar (Croat) Mayor Ivan Prskalo and (Muslim) Deputy Mayor Safet Orucevic and international representatives, visited their houses, which had been severely damaged and are mostly unliveable. The head of the Mostar office of the High Representative for Bosnia- Herzegovina, Richard Ellerkmann, said that the returnees would need more aid for the reconstruction of their homes. Today's return of Croats to Bijelo Polje is of crucial importance for the implementation of the Mostar agreement on refugee return, signed in April this year by Prskalo and Orucevic, Ellerkmann said. The April agreement has not been fully respected because there are still 31 Croat houses in Bijelo Polje which have not been vacated and which now have Bosniak refugee occupants, Prskalo said. The two sides have agreed that these houses should be vacated by January 15 next year at the latest. Another 139 Croat families should return to the settlement. Bosniak refugees, too, should start returning to the suburb of Rastane tomorrow, Ellerkmann announced. Stabilisation Force patrols were intensified during today's visit to Bijelo Polje. Several SFOR APC's were also spotted at the outskirts of the settlement. No incidents were reported. (hina) rml