$ ZAGREB, 29 July (Hina) - There are currently 290 empty houses in the Croatian Danube river region the displaced can move into immediately, but so far only 17 families have returned, spokesman for the U.N. Transitional Administration
in Eastern Slavonia Philip Arnold told a press conference in Zagreb on Tuesday.
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ZAGREB, 29 July (Hina) - There are currently 290 empty houses in the
Croatian Danube river region the displaced can move into immediately, but
so far only 17 families have returned, spokesman for the U.N. Transitional
Administration in Eastern Slavonia Philip Arnold told a press conference in
Zagreb on Tuesday. #L#
So far, 8,870 displaced families have been registered in the Danube
river region and half of that number have said they want to return to their
homes in other parts of Croatia, Arnold said. The Office for Displaced
Persons and Refugees has so far approved the return of 297 families, he
added.
In the last several months, some hundred Serb families have
returned to Glina, Karlovac, Daruvar, Sisak, Knin, Sunja, Zagreb, Gvozd,
Dvor and other towns. Another 200 families, who have submitted their
documents, are waiting for the return to be approved.
The Croatian government has asked UNTAES to check the houses
of the Croatian displaced in the Danube river region, Arnold said.
We have checked several thousands of houses and confirmed to the
Croatian government that there are 290 empty houses which people can
move into as of today, Arnold said, adding that the number is very small.
However, the process of return is very slow as the conditions for mass
return are non-existent and the displaced are returning in small groups.
The process of return to the Croatian Danube river region will be
slower than we want it to be, but the return of Serbs from the Danube river
region to other parts of Croatia will also be slow, the UNTAES spokesman
said, adding that it is not true that UNTAES is holding up the return of the
displaced.
The reason why the process is so slow is that many houses have to
be de-mined, repaired and made liveable. Another special problem are the
houses in which someone is already living, Arnold said.
Around one half of some 45,000 to 50,000 displaced persons and
refugees in the Danube river region have still not registered. During the
year, between 4,500 to 6,000 people have left the region.
There are currently 2,500 to 3,000 Bosnian Serbs in the Croatian
Danube river region who do not have the right to Croatian citizenship nor the
right to stay in the region, but they do have the right to register as refugees
with the Croatian government for whatever kind of support, Arnold said.
On weekends, hundreds of Croats are visiting the southern part of
the region, including Lipovac, Apsevci and Nijemci, and repairing their
homes. The trend has lately spread to Bilje and Ernestinovo, Arnold said.
The newly-appointed Transitional Administrator for the Croatian
Danube river region, U.S. Ambassador William Walker, last week paid an
unofficial visit to the area in order to get acquainted with the situation.
So far, 140,000 people in the Danube river region have received
Croatian citizenship certificates, and 117,000 have received passports,
Arnold said, adding that 31,000 people have applied for health insurance.
Some 5,500 to 6,000 vehicles have received Croatian license plates and a
similar number of driver's licenses have been issued.
For now, 7,500 people in the Danube river region are receiving
Croatian pension allowances and some 4,700 people are employed with
government bodies.
Arnold added that 140 private companies have been founded in
accordance with Croatian laws. Twenty-six bus lines have been established
in the area and they transport 3,000 passengers a day.
The largest reconstruction project is being implemented in Vukovar,
where several residential buildings are being repaired. So far, 305
apartments have been repaired, and it is expected that 670 apartments will
be reconstructed in the near future.
The reconstruction is financed by the Croatian Reconstruction
Ministry and European Union. There are also smaller reconstruction projects
which are financed by the international community and organisations. Those
reconstruction projects, worth 13 million dollars, include schools, water
supply system, kindergartens and health facilities, Arnold said.
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