OKUCANI, 24 July (Hina) - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor John Shattuck and U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith and their associates on Thursday visited Okucani, western Slavonia.
OKUCANI, 24 July (Hina) - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, +
Human
Rights and Labor John Shattuck and U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith +
and
their associates on Thursday visited Okucani, western Slavonia. #L#
The U.S. officials were welcomed by the Okucani municipal head Drazen
Japundzic and the commander of the 3rd police station, Slavko Lukacevic, who
informed their guests about what had been done concerning the return of Serb
refugees.
Shattuck and Galbraith then met with Zoran Duspara and Petar Solomun,
representatives of some 4,000 Croats from Vojvodina and Bosnia-Herzegovina, now
living in Okucani. Duspara and Solomun told the U.S. officials that they wanted+
to stay
in Croatia. That does not mean that we want to take other people's property, +
Duspara
said.
At a press conference held after the talks, Shattuck and Galbraith expressed
satisfaction with what Okucani authorities were doing to facilitate the return +
of Serb
refugees.
Shattuck stressed the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return to
their homes. Private property and the right to use it are among the basic +
principles of
west-European democratic states, he said.
One should also work on the development of coexistence, Shattuck said, adding
that Croatia should build its future on these principles.
After the conference, Shattuck, Galbraith and the second secretary in the
Norwegian Embassy, Tori Langlete, opened a centre for legal help of the Serb
Democratic Forum in Okucani.
(hina) rm
241900 MET jul 97