RETURN OF DISPLACED PEOPLE TO ILOK BEGINS

ILOK, July 9 (Hina) - The head of the Croatian Government's office for the displaced persons and refugees, Lovre Pejkovic, on Wednesday handed over returnee cards to the mayor of eastern Croatian town of Ilok, Stipan Kraljevic, and four members of the town authorities. In this way, the beginning of the return of the displaced to the UNTAES-controlled parts of Vukovar-Sirmium County was marked officially. After that Pejkovic, along with UNTAES and UNHCR officials, met local Serbs in Sarengrad where the Croatian official explained to about 70 (seventy) residents the mechanism of the two-way return and their right in the process. As of Thursday, teams of the Croatian government and UNTAES will register vacant, damaged or destroyed houses so that the return to the eastern Croatian village may be accelerated. In the coming days such registration will start in Ilok, Marinci, Baranjsko Petrovo Selo, and in some other towns and villages, according to Pejkovic. He said in Ilok that 66 displaced families had received so far permits for the return to Vukovar-Sirmium County, and they would come back to their homes in the following days. Several families had already returned to Ilok outside the return plan, he said and voiced hope that most displaced people from the Ilok area would come back this summer. He added that according to the plan for the two-way return, Croatian government would enable Serbs who were currently living in the Ilok area to return to their former places of residence if they wished so. Members of Ilok authorities along with the mayor Kraljevic, will stay in a rented house in Ilok until they can return to their own homes. (hina) mm mš 091854 MET jul 97