ZAGREB, 8 July (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic on Tuesday received the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Zagreb. The meeting was also attended by the
Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia, Jacques Klein, the head of the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees, Lovre Pejkovic and the head of the Agency for Mediation in Real Estate Transactions, Ivica Vrkic, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
ZAGREB, 8 July (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and
Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic on Tuesday received
the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Zagreb.
The meeting was also attended by the Transitional Administrator for
Eastern Slavonia, Jacques Klein, the head of the Office for Displaced
Persons and Refugees, Lovre Pejkovic and the head of the Agency for
Mediation in Real Estate Transactions, Ivica Vrkic, the Foreign Ministry
said in a statement. #L#
Granic and Radic informed the diplomatic corps that the successful
completion of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube river region
was a strategic goal of the Croatian Government, which was taking
numerous measures to achieve that goal.
After the successfully completed elections, it was necessary for
local bodies of authority to take over their duties as soon as possible
and that the two-way return of refugees be organised, Granic and Radic
stressed.
Granic informed the diplomatic corps about Croatia's stands
concerning a U.N. Security Council resolution on the new mandate of the
U.N. Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES). He
expressed hope that the UNTAES military component would leave the area
by 15 October this year and that the restructured UNTAES mandate would
be completed on 15 January 1998.
Granic also informed the diplomatic corps about the talks between
Croatia and Yugoslavia on border questions (local border traffic and
border crossings) and the expected signing of an agreement on road and
railway traffic.
Reconstruction and Development Minister Radic said that 80,000
refugees from the Croatian Danube river region - Croats and members of
minorities - were waiting to return. The Government planned the return
of 40,000 displaced people by the end of the year, while the other
40,000 would return next year. In the past two months, 1,600 Serbs from
the Croatian Danube river region returned to other parts of Croatia, of
their own accord, Radic said, adding that the Government knew about
their return.
The Ministry of Reconstruction and Development had so far received
requests from 6,351 families currently living in the Danube river
region, Radic said. Out of that number, 3,340 families wanted to return
to other parts of Croatia, while 2,781 wanted to sell their property and
leave Croatia.
The Government would try and solve all requests, Radic said, adding
that the organisation of the return was costly. He called on the
international community to offer stronger support to the Croatian
Government.
U.N. Transitional Administrator Klein informed the diplomatic corps
about his successful meeting with the Croatian President Franjo Tudjman.
Klein expressed full support for the stands Granic and Radic presented.
The withdrawal of the UNTAES military component would start immediately
after 15 July and it would be completed on 15 October this year, Klein
said.
The head of the Agency for Mediation in Real Estate Transactions
Vrkic stressed the role of the Agency in successful completion of the
overall process of peaceful reintegration of the Danube river region,
especially in solving the problem of return of displaced people and
refugees.
Members of the diplomatic corps showed great interest in and fully
supported the measures the Croatian Government is taking with the aim of
successfully completing the peaceful reintegration of the Danube river
region.
(hina) rm
082130 MET jul 97